


Everything is going to be fine in the end

by Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel



Series: Wish for a happy ending [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Blood and Wine (The Witcher 3 DLC), Cheating, Coming to Terms with the Past, Denial of Feelings, Drama & Romance, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Secrets, Family of Choice, Feelings, Female Witcher, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, M/M, New Hansa, Post-Blood and Wine (The Witcher 3 DLC), Regis' Past, Romance, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Turn of events, Vampires, Vampires Have Feelings Too (The Witcher), Witcher Contracts, Witchers Have Feelings (The Witcher)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:48:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 100,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22542040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel/pseuds/Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel
Summary: »Pah,«the man in the ragged clothes laughed snidely.»This is just another one of your tall tales.«»But of course not, good man,«Dandelion replied and took a big sip of his beer. With the back of his hand he wiped the froth from his face and pointed to the dimly lit taproom with his jug.»If you thought that the story of Geralt of Rivia and his sorceress had thrilled you, then pay attention now. I tell you how a bear entered the life of the White Wolf and together they experienced an adventure like no other. On their journey they met friends and foes which sometimes they were the same ones. Listen carefully, because I am telling you a story of suffering and death. Of lost and of blossoming love. And of events that no one could have seen coming. Come, all of you, and I'll tell you of witchers and vampires, of men and women.«Dandelion saluted the assembled people and winked amusedly.»And of men among themselves.«Post-Blood and Wine. Illustrations of the OCs are included in various chapters.
Relationships: Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy/Original Female Character(s), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Wish for a happy ending [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640272
Comments: 133
Kudos: 79





	1. Prologue: Awakening

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Am Ende wird alles gut](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20674565) by [Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel/pseuds/Ratatosk_the_old_squirrel). 



Razor-sharp claws scrabble on cold stone. Searching with uncertain movements for a crack or crevice, a point of attack in the grey mineral.  
The movements become more impatient - more aggressive. Finally, frustrated hissing sounds in the darkness, and the tentative strokes turn into powerful blows, drumming on the stone and smashing it over time.  
It seems like almost ages, but finally the heavy flagstone bursts and collapses creakily. Bright light enters the enormous stone coffin. Displaces painfully the familiar darkness.  
Frantically the claws are cringed upwards to protect eyes which shine like black beetles and had been hidden from the sun for so long.

Something moves under the fragments of the flagstone. Strives to squirm out and free itself from the former prison. How enormous appears the effort to leave the coffin after the heavy stone was destroyed with so little effort?

Tedious minutes go by, full of groaning moans and trickling stones, but finally it is done.  
Clawed hands supporting the body - straighten the torso and immediately stroke hesitantly along the now upright figure.  
Apparently satisfied with the result, the body continues to straighten up. The shoulders tighten while taking a long, deep breath.  
The sensitive eyes open again and an annoyed growl sounds as the light of day hits them again painfully. The black eyes are blinking. Swiftly and moistly until it becomes bearable.

The first tentative step is made, followed by another and finally more and more. A slow but steady pace sets in, leaving the place of long imprisonment behind. The direction of the steps doesn't remain arbitrary at all. There is a sweet smell of human blood in the wind - infallibly pointing the way to the nearby settlement.

At the same time the now confident steps are accelerating. The movements become more flowing - seem more human. The claws disappear. What remains are deceptively harmless, slender fingers.

The voices of the humans mingle with their sweet, tempting smell as he approaches.  
At the edge of the settlement the steps hesitate for a moment. Shining black eyes observe the humans, who in turn stare full of blatant curiosity at him.  
The unknown man with dark hair, noble features and dirty, old-fashioned clothes.

♦

Emiel Regis took another deep breath before taking the final step. The one who officially brought him into the Dillingen city limits. _Today is the first day_ , he thought, while suppressing the desire to smash his teeth into an astonished little boy as he passed by.  
_The first day of my new life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> ♦This story is now complete. But I am still happy about further kudos and comments.♦


	2. A new face

Like every evening, the sun of Toussaint moved unperturbed towards the horizon. On its way it reliably coloured the small fluffy clouds from bright yellow to glowing orange and heavy red. The enchanting change that the country underwent as a result was not unexpected, but as always spectacular.

Geralt of Rivia sighed sadly and leaned back in his large chair with the peccantly luxurious cushion while he watched his vines and olive trees glow in a flameless fire. He listened to the sounds of the approaching night and sadly noticed that he heard only the imperturbable sounds of the orioles and nightingales, but not the suspicious croaking of the ravens.  
While the sun followed its path and the first sparkling stars rose in the sky above Corvo Bianco, Geralt sighed once more.

He reached for the bulbous wine bottle next to him on the small table.  
Three wine glasses suggested that his majordomo and also Marlene intended to join him soon.  
As soon as they had finished their daily work and the preparations for the usual opulent meal the next day were complete.

The fact that Barnabas-Basil after such a long time was finally willing to join the master of the house in the evening, even without an explicit invitation, made Geralt smile for a moment. The conscientious and almost overly dignified majordomo had some trouble convincing himself to be on the same level with Geralt. Finally, he had capitulated and realized that his new master preferred comradely behaviour to the stiff and sterile manner that would have dictated etiquette.

Geralt refilled his glass with the heavy, spicy red wine and was about to put the bottle aside when Barnabas-Basil left the house and approached him quickly.  
He grabbed another wine glass and filled it too, then he handed it to his majordomo. With a small graceful bow, the man thanked him, accepted the wine and sat down silently on the chair next to Geralt.

For a few minutes they just enjoyed the silence and watched the night fall on Toussaint.  
Finally, Geralt sighed a third time and turned to the other man. "Is Marlene unable to free herself from the pans again?", he asked.  
A slight twitch flitted across the corners of his counterpart's mouth, and Geralt was familiar enough with the man by now to recognize the equivalent of a smile in it.  
"As far as I can judge, Marlene's preparations aimed to impress the Duchess's table both in the quality of the dishes and in their opulence."  
Geralt laughed softly. "I'll have to invite more people for dinner in future. If I try to manage her meals mainly by myself, I will go down in history as the first Witcher who died in a bed because of gluttony."  
Barnabas-Basil nodded in response and continued to sip his wine with dignity.

Smiling, Geralt turned back to enjoy the view of his estate. But when his gaze crossed the entrance of the wine cellar, he felt a sudden twinge in his chest. His face hardened and he took a big sip of wine to banish the bitter taste that suddenly appeared in his throat.  
On peaceful evenings like this, the appearance of the cellar always dampened his mood.

As always, the origin of this reaction was the hidden alchemy laboratory.  
In a dark corner there were heavy wooden chests that gradually gathered dust. Big chests filled with old, colourful and leather-bound books.  
Regis' books.

Geralt hung his head and remembered the night two years ago when he asked Barnabas-Basil to harness a wagon and meet him in Mère-Lachaiselongue after nightfall.

The massacre which the Vampires had caused thanks to Dettlaff in Beauclair, made the cemeteries of the duchy overflow. When burials began to take place near Regis' abandoned shelter, the Witcher was forced to bring the possessions of his friend to a safe place, since he had to leave them behind as he left in a hurry.

His majordomo didn't ask why they met at night in an old cemetery. He also didn't ask any questions while they fetched countless books from a crypt that looked like a dusty living room. He remained silent on the way back to Corvo Bianco, and even after their return he only wanted to know where to store the books.

Geralt reluctantly instructed him to pack the books safely and put them in a corner of the alchemy laboratory.  
Of course, his first impulse was to have Regis' belongings brought to the guest room, but deep inside Geralt knew that he wouldn't see his old friend again soon. Maybe he would never see him again.

He suppressed the desire to sigh again and took another sip from his wine instead.  
His gaze wandered from the ground into the clear sky which was now dotted with countless shimmering stars and illuminated by the full moon.

In the last two years Geralt's life had changed fundamentally. After he was released from prison and Regis left to search for Dettlaff, he decided to settle down permanently in Corvo Bianco.  
He now spent his days tending grapes, pressing his own wine and also drinking it. From time to time someone would approach him asking for his Witcher-skills, and he would take advantage of these occasions to pick up his swords again, more out of habit than necessity.  
Geralt considered himself to be officially retired and he was satisfied.  
Almost.

He never regretted his decision of letting the djinn cut the bond to Yennefer. Nor did he regret in the least his decision to not have followed Triss to Kovir.  
His servants appreciated him for his generosity, and the citizens of Toussaint met him with more acceptance and goodwill than he could have ever imagined. Ciri, Dandelion, Zoltan, Lambert and Eskel visited him regularly and always stayed for a long time. In case of Dandelion sometimes more often and longer than desired.  
In Barnabas-Basil and Marlene he had found pleasant company, every day and both took great effort to provide him with every possible comfort.  
Compared to his former life with nasty remarks, stale bread and short nights on the cold ground, this was heaven. If only there wasn't this twingeing loneliness that tormented him.

A loneliness that could not be healed even by the company of his old and new friends. But Geralt had no illusions about the reasons for his loneliness. He missed Regis.  
Painfully.

After the events of Stygga, when he had to deal with the supposed loss of his friend, he could focus on the hectic life of a Witcher. The events seemed to overturn constantly and didn't give him the peace to think about the past or to grief.  
His pleasure about the reunion with Regis was immense, but now that Geralt came to rest for the first time in his life, the pain about the new loss was even stronger.

In nights like this, he felt the strong desire for a companion who was able to see the world like he did. A confidant who had walked the path Geralt had taken and who understood and accepted the decisions he had made.  
He wished for someone who just didn't make him feel so damn old.

Heavy smell of sweet pastry announced Marlene's arrival even before the sound of her footsteps. It tore Geralt out of his melancholic thoughts.  
He quickly finished his glass and reached for the wine bottle to serve the kind old woman and also to refill his own glass. He pointed with the bottle at his majordomo, but he only shook his head and stood up.  
The sight of Marlene with the huge plate of pastry and Barnabas-Basil hurrying to take it off her, put a slight smile on his face again.

While the both of them sat down beside him and toasted him with their full glasses, Geralt tensed his shoulders and forced his mind into the now and here. His life was heaven now and he had every reason to be satisfied. ...Almost.

♦

Geralt strolled lazily through the colourful streets of Beauclair. The direction he took didn't matter to him as long as there would be a tavern at the end of the path. And of that one could be pretty sure in Toussaint.

His majordomo had insisted that he accompanied him to the city to buy some supplies and other equipment, despite his resolute resistance. In the end this situation did only mean that Geralt stood two steps behind Barnabas-Basil and watched him bargain about the price with a voice made of iron and drove the merchant into despair.  
At times the man had turned to him with various goods in his hands to obtain permission to purchase. In this way he extended his activity to include an occasional, blunt nod of his head.  
When Geralt's stomach began to growl loudly, Barnabas-Basil showed mercy and declared that he could do the final purchases without the presence of his master. His reaction kept dignified as usual, when the Witcher turned around immediately and fled from the musty shop. But Geralt silently grinned when he noticed the slightly raised eyebrow in the reflection of the window. _Geez, B.B. You should know me by now_ , he thought with a smirk.

A pretty young woman with long, artfully braided hair pranced past Geralt. She held the arm of an elegantly dressed man with an arrogant posture, but made goo-goo eyes at Geralt. He noted her attention with a smile and winked at the woman, who immediately started giggling and hid her blushing face behind a colourful fan. The preppy nobleman tried so hard to ignore the other passers-by that he missed the behaviour of his lady.  
The wide grin held on to his face even when he had left the two behind him. Now he walked a little more purposefully towards the large plaza. The habit still drove him to the notice-board every time he visited a town or village to check the current requests. The last weeks had been very calm and Geralt was full of zest for actions to unpack his swords for something else than exercises.  
Maybe he could find an interesting and not too nasty job today.

While Geralt approached the board, his thoughts drifted away to his upcoming lunch and he limited himself to the perception of direct obstacles in his path. He was barely more than an arm's length away when he noticed the man who stood in front of the notice-board with tilted head, crossed arms and a bobbing foot, looking through the requests and announcements.

Abruptly Geralt came to a halt and stared at the man in astonishment. The fact that he was standing in front of the notice-board had nothing unusual at all, but the two swords, one made of steel and one of silver, hanging from his back added a very interesting touch to the situation.

Geralt’s sharp movements didn't go by unnoticed and the stranger lowered his arms and turned to him. For a moment, the unknown man stared at him with amber cat eyes, then a wide smile spread over the boyish face.  
Geralt's intentional reaction was at first limited to replacing the surprised expression with a more neutral one. Then he examined the chest of the unknown Witcher for the obligatory medallion. The plain, heavily lined brown doublet of the man offered a strong contrast to the silver medallion, which identified him as a Witcher of the bear school.

Before Geralt was able to go any further, his brightly smiling counterpart had overcome the distance between the two of them and had taken the stunned Geralt in a short, firm embrace. After a few moments he let go of him again and took a step back.  
Geralt looked dumbfounded.

"I am Veit", the unknown Witcher introduced himself in a cheerful mood. "From the bear school", he added after a short break. "I don't need to ask you your name, White Wolf." He pointed a finger at Geralt's head. "I am really happy to meet some familiar eyes here. Witchers have become a very rare sight after all."

♦

Geralt blew the froth from his beer with a smile and cheered to Veit, who returned the gesture no less cheerfully and both took a deep sip of the cool drink. Satisfied, Geralt placed the jug on the table in front of him and let his gaze wander through the well-filled taproom before he directed it back to his new acquaintance. Veit was tall and of a slender but strong stature. He wore his dark brown hair in a very similar way to Geralt, with highly shaved sides, but a remarkably long, plaited braid. Outside in direct sunlight, as well as in the light of the candles they got a golden shimmer and looked almost black in the shade. His face looked youthful, but when the first impression faded, Geralt couldn't help but notice that his counterpart had to be at least as old as he was, if not even older. His features were pleasant, almost noble and had something familiar that Geralt could not place. Especially because he was sure that he had never met this man before. He was also irritated by the charming manners and the exuberant personality of the Witcher.

Compared to his other Witcher friends Veit seemed like a source of overwhelming joy of life. _Well_ , Geralt thought, _compared to Lambert, even yeast dough overflows with joy of life._

**~**

After Geralt was able to overcome his astonishment at the appearance of another Witcher and his untypical behaviour, he invited Veit to join him for lunch. The man accepted gratefully and Geralt was genuinely happy about the chance he got.  
It had already been months since he had last spoken to another Witcher and to his chagrin Eskel couldn't report many news and as usual he had kept his stay very short.  
Unfortunately, far from round buttocks and bulging breasts, there wasn't much that entertained him as much as an anecdote about the perils of the Witcher-business.

"Well, what leads Geralt of Rivia to Beauclair?", Veit asked curiously to his counterpart and also put down his beer. "With your reputation there must be at least two stunningly beautiful Sorceresses, a medium-sized political scandal and a golden Dragon involved."  
Geralt grimaced at this list and decided to give Dandelion a hint to look for another victim for his inspiration as soon as possible. He tried hard to give his voice a deliberately bored tone while answering. "My time of political scandals and golden Dragons has ended. My swords now hang permanently above the fireplace in my house and they are only picked up to shake off the rust from them and my muscles."  
With amusement, Geralt observed how his answer would affect the Witcher. Veit was in the middle of the movement to bring the beer jug back to his mouth, froze and formed soundlessly the word “house” several times. A moment later Veit placed the jug so abruptly on the table that the beer splashed. "Are... you kidding me?", he asked sceptically.

He shook his head, smirking. He understood perfectly how unusual his current lifestyle must have seemed to another Witcher.  
Just two years ago he would have reacted exactly like Veit, if a Witcher had explained to him that he had settled down.

"And I can assume that your wife and your six children are waiting at home?", Veit still asked sceptically, but with a slightly amused undertone.  
"Not my cup of tea", Geralt replied shaking his head.  
"So, I guess it's a man instead?"

Geralt, who was just about to take another sip of his beer, choked and began to cough. When he had finally calmed down again, he gave the Witcher a wry look. Then he realized that his counterpart had put on a conspicuously innocent expression that slowly started to crumble and he burst out laughing immediately afterwards.  
He spared his reply and simply shook his head at the other Witcher's foolish behaviour.

Veit smiled for a moment at his reaction. Then he briefly fell into a thoughtful silence before he spoke again. "I have also considered settling down once before. In fact, it was even during my last stay here in Toussaint."  
"Why did it fail?" Geralt asked.  
"Fear of commitment," he replied, pretending to be concerned. "I met a female rock troll here. Charming creature. Very passionate. She swore eternal fidelity to me and assured that I was her only true love", Veit told with a deadly face. " But I wasn't willing to do that at the time."

Geralt laughed out loud. "I'm afraid that's not going to happen anymore either." He pondered for a moment. "I guess I met your troll lady a few years ago. I'm sorry to tell you that she has found a new love. Unfortunately, the poor thing was put in a cage and starved to death. Sadly, she forced me to behead her."  
Veit grabbed his breast in feigned indignation. "Oh, cruel world. Is the oath of true love no longer worth anything?"  
They both laughed out loud, attracting the curious glances of the nearby tables.

"But I suspect that there is a long story behind your house which deserves to be heard," Veit said when he had calmed down a bit and leaned back relaxed on the bench.  
Geralt nodded and smirked. "I'll gladly share it with you, but first I finish my lunch. I'm starving. Until then I would like to know what drives you to the area? It can't be a glut of contracts. For months, every Nekker, Wyvern, and Kikimore seems to have become tame around here. My last job was a single puny Archespore, rotting in an unused wine cellar, about to die on its own.”

Veit nodded in agreement and scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. "No, it really wasn't a contract at all." He took a short break. "To be honest, it was actually the weather that led me here."  
Geralt raised both eyebrows in curiosity.  
"Since the end of winter, I've stood in almost every slough in Nilfgaard and hardly a day has gone by without at least an hour of rain. One more day and inside my boots mushrooms would have grown."

The barmaid interrupted their conversation by unceremoniously dropping a huge plate of roasted meat, a variety of cheese and loafs of fresh bread into the middle of the table. Despite her rough behaviour Veit winked at her. She blushed and stroked a strand of hair behind her ear and fled without a word back to her place behind the counter, where the next hungry guest was already waiting for her.

Veit watched her for a moment and then turned his attention to the opulent meal in front of him.  
With astonishment he looked at the enormous amount of delicious food. He hesitated at first. Uncertain if he was actually allowed to eat, but when Geralt invited him with a nod, he hungrily reached for a piece of meat.

"I just needed a change of climate", Veit took up the thread of the conversation again with his mouth full. "I was hoping to find some contracts. Lucrative ones, so I could stay here until winter." He grimaced and grabbed a chunk of cheese. "But so far I haven't had any luck. Unless, I count the old woman who paid me to bring back her runaway chickens as a contract, of course.”  
"It depends on", Geralt said amusedly. "Did she look like a Hag and were the chickens demonic?"  
"I'm afraid not. She looked more like an amiable raisin wrapped in rags and the birds seemed to be half dead", Veit replied grinning and made Geralt laugh out loud again.

Geralt ignored the two men at the next table. Startled by the loud conversation, they stared scornfully above their lobster soup.  
He reached for his beer jug again to wash down the roasted lamb. "So, what are you going to do now?"  
Veit shrugged thoughtfully. "I don't have a lot of options. If I don't find work, I have no choice but to go back to Nilfgaard. There's always a Nekker in a slough somewhere or a Drowner in a lake."  
Gerald gave him a sympathetic nod.

~

They continued their meal in a good mood, sharing anecdotes of their most exciting jobs, until Barnabas-Basil entered the tavern and came to the table with carefully measured steps. Right in front of the table he bowed slightly. Geralt wiped his mouth on a napkin and then pointed to an empty seat at the table. "Would you like to join us, B.B.?"

The majordomo shook his head and made another small bow. "I have finished all my business and going to return to Corvo Bianco. " He paused for a moment. "Am I right in assuming that you do not wish to accompany me and will follow later?"  
After he had received an affirmative nod, he continued: "Do you have any special wishes for the evening, sir?"

It didn't slip Geralt's attention that Veit's expression went from astonishment to amusement while he ordered his dinner and a late bath. He was almost embarrassed when he realized how comfortable his life had become meanwhile. Otherwise, he had become far too accustomed to missing out on what he thought were his hard-earned comforts.

He was already about to dismiss Barnabas-Basil when suddenly a thought crossed his mind. He thoughtfully looked at his counterpart, but at first ignored Veit's confused expression and turned to his majordomo once more. "And prepare the guest room, please. We'll have a guest for a while." Then finally he turned again to the other Witcher. "If you will agree, of course."

Veit stared at Geralt in bewilderment. Then he braced himself again and stuttered embarrassed: "that's very generous... I... ." He stopped for a moment and considered the situation. "Thank you very much, I'd love to," he finally said with a bright smile on his lips.

Barnabas-Basil bowed once more and finally left the two Witchers. Geralt was pleased by the deeply grateful expression in Veit's face. Knowing how quickly money could run out and how little kindness Witchers in general received. The possibility to offer some comfort to another Witcher was very pleasing.

Satisfied, Veit pushed the plate aside and leaned still smiling towards Geralt. "You wanted to tell me another story."  
Geralt gave the barmaid a sign. They would definitely need more beer.

A small part of an artwork made by **Vince**.  
(Made especially for me.)  
A complete view is available in a later chapter

**♦**

Regis stepped out of the deep cave on the edge of Nazair in frustration. It took him months until he was able to find Dettlaff, despite his suspicion that he had returned to his old homeland. And it took even more before Dettlaff was willing to talk to him.

He has indeed sympathy for his friend's deeply hurt feelings, but by now he couldn't help but consider his behaviour as rather childish pouting.  
With a sigh, the Vampire tightened his coat firmly. The cold didn't harm his body, but now his mind was bothered by it. The last months were filled with frustratingly useless speeches and the bitter aftertaste of the grumpy answers he received.  
The dull weather did the rest to make him wish for a cosy place to stay, a crackling fire and a large cup of warm mandrake moonshine.

Fire was indeed a possibility for him, but especially the desire for his beloved hooch had to remain unfulfilled.  
The few bottles he had brought with him had long since been emptied. Unfortunately, he had neither the necessary raw ingredients nor the possibility to produce new ones in this place.  
He circled and relaxed his shoulders and took a look back into the uninviting cave. His debt to Dettlaff was still a heavy burden to him.

Slowly, Regis began to wonder if it wouldn't be better to leave the Vampire to his gloomy thoughts and the company of his beloved Bruxae for a few years. There was no reason to assume that Dettlaff would soon mingle with humans again and so there was no reason to fear that he would unload his frustration in another massacre.

When it started to drizzle, Regis sighed softly.  
Once again, his thoughts wandered back to Toussaint and to the pleasant memories of delightful evenings in the company of his Witcher friend. He missed Geralt. The contrast between him and Dettlaff only made him regret his absence even more.

He called a nearby sitting raven, who was enthusiastically plucking the remains of a dead mouse.  
The cunning bird hesitated for a moment and stared indecisively between the Vampire and its own meal, but then hopped a little closer and finally fluttered on his hand.  
Gently, the Vampire whispered a few words in an eerie language. The raven croaked in agreement and then raised off the Vampire's hand.  
For a brief moment, Regis watched the bird wistfully as it faded away at the horizon towards Toussaint. Then he turned around and entered the uncomfortable cave again.

There was a duty to be fulfilled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> ** Next time:  **
> 
> A surprising visitor makes Geralt aware of a monster problem.  
>  Veit and Geralt become friends.


	3. An unexpected request

"Have we actually met before?" Geralt asked gasping as he parried a swift blow.  
He was itching to deal with this question since their first lunch. "I can't remember and yet I can't shake off the thought that I've seen you before."  
Veit pulled back his sword and made a graceful half turn to get out of the reach of his sparring partner, which made his long braid fling. He tilted his head and thought for a moment. Then he shrugged and pounced on Geralt again. "Nothing comes to my mind", he replied breathlessly as their swords clashed.  
Geralt made a lunge backwards to balance the power of the stroke.  
"I used to visit Kaer Morhen several times in the past and was in the bastion a few times, too. One absolutely depend on Vesemir" Veit explained pondering before he suddenly switched his sword to his left hand and made a forward thrust.  
Geralt reacted immediately and jumped back, tangling his foot in one of the tendrilous flowers that grew in front of his house. The resistance from the plant slowed his retreat just enough to make him accept a painful hit on his upper arm. But his opponent had already reacted and turned his wrist so that the stroke came with the blade and not the edge. An unpleasant bruise would definitely occur, nonetheless.

The dark-haired Witcher lowered his sword and watched Geralt massage his aching arm. "Maybe you have seen me once during one of these visits? Anyway, I can't remember having met you before and I'm sure I would remember it", Veit finally answered the open-ended question and showed his white teeth, still smiling.

Geralt stretched out and bend his arm a few times while estimating the pain in the hit muscle. He growled approvingly. The answer was not very satisfying, but Veit's theory sounded plausible enough to him.  
He already wanted to start a new attack when suddenly something else occurred to him. "Vesemir is dead" he informed the other Witcher. "A few years ago, we fought the Wild Hunt. He fought bravely, but..." Geralt stopped the sentence. Even though the event had taken place some time ago, it was still painful for him to think about the loss of the old Witcher.  
Veit went silent for a few heartbeats, then he said in a low voice: "there are probably less glorious deaths to die for a Witcher than this one."  
Geralt agreed with him nodding, then he ended the oppressive subject by turning on his own axis in a flash and performing a deep blow on Veit's legs. The latter could only avoid a hit by doing a surprised, rather inelegant hop backwards. But only a split second later Veit had regained his balance and started an attack on Geralt, wildly laughing.

**~**

Some time later, Geralt gave his partner a hand signal to stop. He was visibly exhausted; the sweat ran into his eyes and soaked the plain white linen shirt. Veit immediately stopped his attack. Grateful, because he was no less marked by the effort and breathed heavily.

"I haven't had such a hard sparring for a long time. You really know how to handle a sword" Geralt explained impressed. With his back bent, he pressed a hand to his kidney and breathed out deeply, hoping to relieve the side sting.  
Veit bowed with a smile in response to the compliment. "I must say that the stories about you are not exaggerated either. You are a worthy opponent, White Wolf."  
Gradually the stabbing pain went away and Geralt straightened up again. "If you ever want a truly amazing opponent, you should look for another Witcher from my school - Eskel. I've never seen a better swordsman."  
Veit was about to say something when Marlene stepped out the door and approached the two Witchers. Immediately the warm smile on the man's face widened.

When he rode through the gate of Corvo Bianco for the first time three days ago, he had taken the old lady to his heart almost immediately. Geralt suspected that the warm cherry cake she had handed him as a greeting played a certain role. But the amount of care that Marlene gave the dark-haired Witcher suggested that she didn't like him any less.  
Overall, none of Geralt's servants seemed to be disturbed or worried by the presence of another Witcher. Veit was constantly in a good mood, always behaved friendly and flirted enthusiastically, paying no attention to age or gender.  
And even Barnabas-Basil seemed very pleased with his presence and enjoyed the challenge offered by another Gwent-player.

Marlene finally stopped a few steps in front of them both. She smiled, but with her brows puckered and a narrow tone in her voice. "Lunch will be ready soon," she informed the Witchers. "If you agree, I will serve it outdoors. The weather is lovely again today."  
Geralt and Veit nodded in agreement.

Marlene prepared herself to go back into the house, but then changed her mind and coughed embarrassed. "I would recommend that you take a bath until I have applied the meal. I'm sure, Barnabas-Basil has already reheated the water in the bathhouse."  
Both Witchers glanced down on themselves with embarrassment. Marlene's suggestion wasn't to be dismissed.

**~**

Geralt held the door of the bathhouse so that Veit could enter after him.  
While the dark-haired Witcher looked around in amazement once again, Geralt put his sword on one of the shelves and took off his shirt.  
When he reached for the bucket to rinse himself, an honouring whistle sounded behind him. Confused, Geralt turned around and saw Veit leaning against the wall with folded arms. The Witcher made no effort to undress himself, but instead he gave Geralt rather mischievous and uninhibitedly lascivious looks.  
Geralt grimaced and grabbed the wet sponge from the bucket.

Veit laughed out loud as he evaded the sponge, but then turned around without resistance and took off his own sweaty shirt. When he stepped next to Geralt to wash up as well, he attracted uninhibited glances, too.

Geralt froze stunned and let his eyes glide over every visible inch of skin. When Veit noticed his stare, he turned provocatively further in his direction, posed and smiled. "Well, if you keep looking at me with that expression, I don't know what I’ll do," he joked.

Geralt briefly raised his head to give him a quick indignant look, then he turned his attention back to the chest of his counterpart.  
Veit's physique was definitely impressive, as one would expect from a swordsman, but Geralt didn't have the slightest doubt that Veit was absolutely aware of the fact that he was so fascinated.

He had to brace himself not to outstretch his hand and brush over the man's chest.  
The flawless, pale skin of the Witcher seemed so strange to Geralt that he almost lost self-control. Not a single scar was recognizable.  
While he stared, the grin on Veit's face faded gradually and he began to uncomfortably wriggle under his eyes.  
"How?", Geralt asked with little eloquence and pointed confused to his own scarred chest.

The dark-haired Witcher grimaced and then played embarrassed with the tip of his braid. "There are several reasons" he finally began to explain. "On the one hand, I usually wear much heavier armour than you do," he enumerated, pointing to the Bear School medallion on his bare chest, "On the other hand, I must confess that I have always fought with at least one other Witcher for most of my life. The contracts I have completed alone, I can count on the fingers of one hand." He took a short break. "And I suppose, you can't ignore the fact that I've been damn lucky so far."

Before Geralt could ask further questions, Veit threw his braid over his shoulder and continued in a stumbling voice: "As a teenager I had a lot of... problems... to fit into the structures. I was constantly involved in quarrels with humans and other Witchers. I showed little respect for my mentors and to be honest, they must have seen me as a dead loss, an unpleasant annoyance.  
Fortunately, there was someone who believed in me and... well, most of the time we only existed as a team. When I finally left my... teething years behind, I did not go my way alone."  
He was obviously uncomfortable with the subject and shivered embarrassed.  
Stunned, Geralt listened to his words. What Veit had just told him reminded him very much of a confession Regis had made to him. And similar to the vampire, it was hard for him to believe that the kind Witcher was anything but generally popular.

"Regis?", Veit suddenly asked.  
Geralt immediately felt a painful sting. He must have muttered the name thoughtlessly. Until now he hadn't mentioned it to Veit and even when explaining how he had come into possession of Corvo Bianco, he had managed to skip his part. "An old and very good... friend," he finally explained with hesitation. "Unfortunately, he had to leave some time ago and I have no idea when he'll be back. - If he will come back," he added faintly.

Geralt's pain about this was so obvious that Veit preferred not to ask any further and instead just nodded empathetically.  
Gratefully, Geralt smiled at him and when his gaze fell on the flawless chest of his counterpart again, he decided to show him the same kindness and dropped the subject. "Come on, let's hurry. Marlene should have everything ready by now."

♦

In the following days a new routine was established for Geralt.  
Veit took an essential part in the organization of his daily routine. With the exception of the few hours he left Corvo Bianco to search the area for potential contracts, he always stayed close to Geralt. They trained together daily, shared every meal and in the evening, they sat outside with Marlene and Barnabas-Basil, drank wine and watched the sun of Toussaint slowly disappearing behind the horizon.  
Whenever Geralt was busy with his duties on the vineyard, the other man either accompanied him and helped out or he spent the time in the kitchen and made himself useful by peeling huge amounts of potatoes or kneading bread dough for Marlene.  
It took only three weeks for the dark-haired Witcher to integrate so seamlessly into Geralt's life and the activities on the estate as if he had always been there.

**~**

On a remarkably warm evening, Veit left him alone for a few minutes to go for a slash and Geralt watched a raven jumping over the yard and bullying one of the half wild cats.  
The sight suddenly made him aware that he hadn't thought about Regis in days and a feeling of guilt was spreading in his stomach. Ashamed Geralt stared to the ground in front of his feet. It wasn't right to forget an old friend in favour of a new one.

The thought had hardly crossed his mind when the familiar pain started to return. He put one hand over his mouth and shook his head gently. Regis would be the last person in this world to be offended if he spent time on pleasant things instead of brooding over unchangeable facts.  
And it was a fact that Regis was not here, but Veit was. And he turned out to be excellent company.  
A gentle smile now appeared on Geralt's lips. Indeed, he had become a good friend to him, he thought.

Gentle steps announced Veit's return and tore Geralt from his thoughts. He lifted his head and smiled at the man, who triumphantly waved a new bottle of wine in front of his face.  
He didn't notice any more how the raven tilted his head, watched them for a moment and then flew away with soft croaking.

♦

Veit had supported his head on one hand and morosely poked around his breakfast.  
The dish looked delicious, but for some time now he had been concerned about a matter that became urgent, more and more, with each day passing by. It made him lose his appetite.  
While Geralt was too busy to eat his breakfast, Marlene didn't fail to notice that something was bothering her new darling.  
She took a look through the kitchen door twice and noticed with concern that his plate was as full as it was at the beginning of the meal. When he finally pushed the plate away, screeching, without having hardly eaten anything, the door opened a third time right on cue and Marlene came directly to the table.

Her presence attracted the attention of Geralt.  
He saw that all her attention was focused on Veit, he followed her gaze and noticed with astonishment that the Witcher was staring through a window into void. Leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed and an unusual grim expression on his face. A glance at his plate immediately made Geralt realize the reason for Marlene's concern, but it was his puckered brows that worried him much more.  
When Veit finally sighed deeply, Marlene felt obliged to act. "Sweetheart, is everything alright? Aren't you feeling well?" she asked worried.

It took the Witcher a moment to realize that she was talking to him. He quickly untied his arms and straightened himself in his chair. A little smile passed his lips but it seemed so faked that even Geralt was immediately aware of it. "Excuse me, Marlene. It's really delicious, but I'm just not hungry."  
The old lady tapped herself thoughtfully on the cheek. She was by no means satisfied. "You both work out an awful lot. You're probably exhausted. You should really rest today, or you'll end up seriously ill."  
Geralt smiled slightly, but denied himself a comment to enlighten Marlene about the constitution of Witchers. It wouldn't stop her from pampering and spoiling Veit even more than she already did anyway.  
Veit must have had similar thoughts, because he gently smiled at her and then nodded in agreement. "'I will take it easy today. I promise."

Satisfied, Marlene clapped her hands. "I'll make you some tea. I just got an excellent new mixture a couple of days ago" she explained. She was already halfway back to the kitchen. "And then I'll pack you a big picnic basket. Fresh air is always good for you and with a proper meal, it's the best medicine you can get." With this announcement, the door to the kitchen closed behind her, leaving the two Witchers alone.

Geralt shook his head in amusement and stared after her. Marlene's passion for food and feeding other people was understandable considering her previous fate, but despite all this, it was still hard to believe.  
The scraping of stone on wood finally turned his attention back to Veit, who had pulled his plate back to himself and took a single berry between his fingers.  
Geralt watched for a moment how his counterpart played with the fruit and then put it into his mouth. This simple activity seemed so exaggerated that Geralt was quite sure that Veit was just looking for a way to avoid looking at him directly.

Worried, Geralt leaned back in his chair. "Okay, what's wrong with you?"  
Veit flinched and put the new berry he had just taken back on the table. Embarrassed, he pushed it around his plate with his fingers.  
Geralt waited patiently for him to be ready to answer.  
Finally, Veit sighed again and looked Geralt straight into his eyes. "Three weeks." That was all he said at first and caused only incomprehension in Geralt. "I've been in your house for three weeks now. Raid your pantry, drink your wine. Your servants even do my laundry," he finally continued with a frustrated undertone. "I said I would keep looking for work, but I just can't find anything. In three weeks, I have done nothing but hunt down a few Barghests, which finally brought in just enough to replace the ingredients for the ghost oil." Veit faltered and looked at Geralt anxiously. "I drain on your pocket."

Geralt stared stunned at the other man and tried desperately to articulate a sentence past his indignation. He gave up after some useless attempts and kept on staring speechlessly at his counterpart, who grabbed his dark braid and nervously fiddled with it.  
Finally, Veit spoke quietly once more. "Please understand me, my friend. I absolutely enjoy being with you. For me you are the most pleasant company I have had for a long time - oh what am I talking about - that I have ever had. I've probably never had so many days in a row with regular meals and I don't even want to start with the bed. I...", he faltered again briefly. "It was great while it lasted, but I want to leave - before you kick me out."

Geralt shook his head with open mouth.  
His mind tried to unknot the hideous tangle of horror, rapture and other unidentifiable emotions that were passing through him seemingly pointlessly. For several minutes Geralt didn't talk or move at all.  
Veit slipped uncomfortably on his chair.  
He knew that it would be inconvenient to bring up this subject and had delayed it as long as he thought it was justifiable. He was glad to have passed it, but with every wink of an eye, Geralt's face changed its expression and became unpleasantly illegible. Veit was creeped over by the anxious feeling that he had made a big mistake with his timing as well as his phrase and seemed ungrateful or dissatisfied to Geralt.

The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by thumping and clattering sounding at one of the small windows. Veit actually wanted to ignore the noise but when he saw Geralt turning towards its origin, he followed his gaze.  
In front of the window sat a large raven, its plumage interspersed with scattered grey feathers, poking with its beak against the window and the lintel.  
When the bird had caught the attention of the two men, it flapped its wings a few times and escaped their field of vision.  
Much to Veit's surprise, Geralt jumped up and ran to the window, where he watched the bird with a deeply shocked expression on his face.

Irritated, Veit also rose from his chair. Geralt's reaction to his announcement, or rather the absence of one, stirred him up deeply. Uncertain, he smoothed his shirt and then he made a decision. "I'll... go and pack my stuff now."

He hadn't taken two steps when Geralt suddenly appeared next to him and grabbed him firmly by the forearm.  
His face was blank when he spoke to him in a firm voice. "Do you want to go?"  
Astonished, Veit looked into his expressionless cat eyes. "Geralt, I can… ."  
He didn't get any further, because Geralt suddenly pressed his arm a little harder and repeated his question in a more definite way. "Do you WANT to go?"  
Veit had to swallow and tightened his shoulder before answering. "No."  
"So, stay."

Veit was absolutely speechless.  
It wasn't hard to see that Geralt was an extremely generous man, who also took great pleasure in giving support to others. But feeding a Witcher, who could offer nothing in return, except lugging heavy things and cleaning vegetables, was extraordinarily generous.  
He didn’t have to think long to realize his opinion about it. He liked Geralt very much and it would have been hard for him not to agree joyfully at once. If his conscience wouldn't constantly pour guilt over him. But before he could answer anything, Geralt's hand moved from his forearm to his shoulder and pressed it gently.  
"In the short time we have known each other you have become a very good friend to me and I would regret it if you decide to leave now, just because you feel useless. You are welcome to stay as long as you can spare the time. You can be sure that your company is worth every glass of wine and every bite of bread."

Veit let Geralt's flattering speech sink in briefly. He searched for suitable words, but apart from a beaming smile he could not bring anything over his tongue.  
"Will you stay?", Geralt then asked carefully and then also started to smile when Veit nodded in agreement. "I will stay."  
For a moment the two men stood together silently and smiled happily at each other, then Veit tilted his head, winked at Geralt mischievously and said cheekily: "So you do have a thing for me after all?"

Geralt gave the other Witcher a jab with the hand that was still on his shoulder, forcing him to lunge in order not to lose his balance. He shook his head, but joined in Veit's laughter. "You’re one of a kind."

The dark-haired Witcher smiled for a moment but then got serious again. "Hmm, tell me... what's all this about the black fowl?" he asked curiously.  
Geralt's face first became dark, then a sad smile twitched over it. "The Raven reminded me how hard it is to let a good friend go."  
Veit asked no more questions.

**~**

Barnabas-Basil took off his glasses, shook the drops from the lenses and put them into the collar of his accurate shirt. The gusts of wind that blew the raindrops into his face made them useless anyway, and the darkness of the late night did the rest.

The majordomo stood at the entrance to Corvo Bianco, staring at the bright spot in the distance, which distorted with the wind and slowly grew larger and larger.  
The stormy gusts had caused him to go outside once again from the comfort of his bed and close the shutters on his master's house. On the way back to his own home, he had noticed the approaching torch.  
Dedicatedly he waited at the gate to receive the guest and to hear his desire.  
It took him several more minutes, while the rain soaked him, until the rider and his horse became visible under the torch. As the animal's first hoof clackingly stepped onto the paved ground, the majordomo walked towards the visitor and grabbed the reins.  
The rider showed no resistance and promptly swung himself off the horse.

He was about to ask for the name of the gentleman who was hiding deep in the folds of a thick travel coat when the man threw his hood back on his own and revealed a finely cut face under a shrill beret that looked sadder with every raindrop.  
"Master Dandelion," he greeted him with an elegant bow. "It's a pleasure to welcome you back here. "But may I ask why you are traveling in such horrible weather?"  
Dandelion patted the man comradely on the back and then dramatically made a face. "I have to speak with Geralt immediately. It's a matter of life and death."

♦

Veit rolled comfortably on his back, careful not to spill any of his wine in Geralt's opulent bed.  
They had played Gwent in the hall until late in the evening and were then banished by a maid who mercilessly insisted to wipe the floor.  
Since neither of them felt the need to go to sleep, they had simply moved into Geralt's bedroom with the bottle of wine and spent the time drinking and exchanging amusing stories.

Geralt had left a few minutes ago to organize new wine and to pay a visit to the lavatory.  
When the dark-haired Witcher just started to wonder if Geralt might have got lost in the storm, the door was brutally ripped open and a man came rushing in.  
To his surprise he had to realize that the man wasn’t the missed Witcher.  
It was obvious that the pompously dressed man had expected to find Geralt in his bedroom and when his gaze fell on Veit instead, he froze.

Since the newcomer didn't make any effort to speak and kept staring with wide eyes, a mischievous grin fell on Veit's face.  
He lolled on the bed with relish and was quite sure about the impression he left. Especially because behind him on the wall hung the ridiculous, suggestive portrait of Geralt, which topped off the situation.

At this very moment Geralt decided to step back into the room. He stopped in surprise with the wine bottle in his hand and stared at the visitor. "Dandelion. What are you doing here?"  
The bard slowly turned to Geralt, but his gaze stuck tenaciously to Veit. It took a moment before he could detach his eyes with an almost audible pop and point them at the other Witcher. "There's a man in your bed," he said instead of greeting or answering.  
As if that would explain the situation, Geralt frowned and said dryly: "This is Veit".

**~**

After Dandelion had overcome his first indignation, he sat together with the two Witchers in the now shining hall and enjoyed bread and cheese from Geralt's pantry. It was obvious that he did not yet really want to trust the foreign Witcher and despite his initial urgency he was hesitant to explain his appearance.  
"You have to come back with me now, my friend," he finally began not very enlightening.  
"And will you tell me what I should do for you in Novigrad this time?", Geralt replied obviously annoyed.  
"You aren't supposed to join me in Novigrad. We will go to Velen and you will not have to do anything for me, but for the good people there." Dandelion shook his head in wonder. "Are you trying to tell me that you really don't know what's going on?"  
Geralt frowned in confusion. He really had no idea what Dandelion meant. A look at Veit, who just shrugged, told him that the other Witcher was clueless as well.  
Finally, Geralt shook his head silently and waited for an explanation.

Dandelion theatrically pressed a hand over his mouth for a moment, then he answered. "Vampires, Geralt. They move from village to village, leaving dozens of dead. For weeks, all of Velen has been living in terror."

**~**

Geralt thoughtfully tore up a piece of bread and tried to handle the information from Dandelion.  
A thought crossed his mind, but before he could express it, Veit beat him to it. "Why are we so sure that they are Vampires," he asked, also expressing Geralt's thoughts.  
"They were seen." Dandelion first made a movement towards his old friend, then he ran his finger along his cheek. "Your fellow Witcher, the one with the scar..."  
"Eskel", Geralt nodded.  
"Exactly", said Dandelion and continued. "Eskel was the first to track down the pack before anyone knew what it was. He must have killed one of them and then got away just in time. He said it was a huge pack of different little Vampires."  
"Lower Vampires", Veit corrected him thoughtlessly.

Geralt bit his lip and brooded over the information.  
After the bard’s performance he had actually expected that his friend was once again on the run from a cuckold. But he had certainly not foreseen such a turn of events.  
"You say Eskel is on to it?" he finally asked.  
Dandelion nodded in agreement. "Less than a week after the first deaths, a bounty was offered. After two more weeks and many more deaths, the bounty was doubled. Presumably, by now all of Velen had probably joined forces to have the problem solved. Anyway, your Witcher friend showed up soon after. He accepted the job and left. A few days later he was standing, completely ragged and drunk, in the tavern I visited. I remembered that he was a friend of yours and wanted to know what happened to him. After he told me what had happened, I went to fetch you immediately. ...And here I am," he finished his lecture.

"And what exactly were you doing in Velen?" Geralt wanted to know.  
Dandelion tensed his shoulders. "I was visiting an old friend."  
"Blond or brunette?", the Witcher asked with a wry grin.  
"Black, the beard too," the bard replied slightly annoyed. "He is a smith. Goldsmith, to be exact." Dandelion hesitated briefly. "I commissioned some jewellery for Priscilla. Including a very expensive ring."  
Geralt made a baffled face. "Dandelion, you're not trying to tell me that you're planning on..." Dandelion interrupted him with a frantic gesture. "Well, you don't know me as well as you think, my friend. I'd like to know when we can set pace."

Geralt ignored the fact that his old friend simply assumed that he would accompany him and he started thinking instead.  
Eskel was a gifted fighter and had some experience in the hunt for lower Vampires. If he wasn’t able to cope with the situation, then it had to be serious. Besides, the probability that one of the few remaining Witchers would accidentally stray to Velen was minimal. The people there were usually simply too poor to afford Witchers. There were far more lucrative regions for his folks. So Eskel was dependent on his support if he wanted to finish the job. Which was likely a matter if the consequences for the inhabitants would be as devastating as Dandelion discribed them.

Questioningly he looked at Veit who understood immediately. "I'm coming with you, of course." Geralt nodded with a smile and turned back to Dandelion, who drummed impatiently on the tabletop. "I have to prepare a bit for my absence, and we need some supplies for the journey. We're leaving tomorrow morning."  
Dandelion nodded contentedly. "Eskel is waiting for us in Lindenvale."

Veit raised his arms above his head and yawped. "I'd better go and get some sleep now."  
The others agreed with him and the Witcher turned to the stairs when a movement outside the window caught his attention. He concentrated for a moment on the area behind the screen but couldn't see anything.  
Finally, he shrugged and went up the stairs at a leisurely pace.

♦

After many hours and several miles, the raven reached again the residence of his master.  
Too exhausted to land properly, the bird plummeted hard on the stony ground, with a muffled sound.  
Just a moment later it was gently lifted by long fingers adorned with unusually sharp nails.

Tenderly Regis stroked the plumage of his little spy. He waited patiently until the bird was able to report to him and then listened intently with his eyes closed and his head tilted.  
After the raven finished, the Vampire shook his head vigorously. "My friend, you always show amazing skill at getting yourself into trouble."  
He pulled some walnuts from his pocket and crushed the hard shell to give his raven the opportunity to strengthen itself. Then he put a hand to his chin and thought.

Packs of Lower Vampires were not entirely uncommon. But a pack consisting of several different subspecies of his distant relatives was by no means natural.  
Thoughtfully, Regis peered into the cave. He just couldn't make any progress with Dettlaff's behaviour and would prefer to be near Geralt than just sending his feathered helpers for him when he started messing with Vampires again.  
Sighing, the Vampire made a decision.  
He laid the raven gently on a small rock and whispered his thanks to him. The raven croaked, happy not to have to fly for a while and devoured another nut.

Finally, Regis took one last look at the cave. In his mind he bid farewell to his Vampire brother and changed into grey fog. "See you in Lindenvale, my friend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
>  **Next time:**  
>  Geralt has to deal with annoying thoughts.  
>  Regis joins the group again and we meet another new Witcher.


	4. Cheers to new friends and old foes

Ruthlessly Geralt drove his horse forward. Roach's sudden displeasure about the harsh treatment was clearly noticeable, she defended herself snorting against the reins and threw her big head back and forth. Normally the Witcher would have given in now and let his stubborn mare rest.

But this day was rather uncommon and Geralt wanted to reach a tavern as soon as possible. At least soon enough, not to spend another night out on the streets. Dandelion, Veit and Geralt left Corvo Bianco three days ago in the early midday hours in direction to Velen. The weather remained fine so far, maybe just a little too cold. Thanks to Marlene, their rations were worthy of a royal table and they made a good progress. Nevertheless, Geralt was highly dissatisfied. The Witcher tried to convince himself that he missed the comfort of his house, but he knew that something else was gnawing at him.

Since the early morning he didn't take part in the cheerful chatter of his companions and instead brooded silently. Dandelion ignored the moody behaviour of his old friend and took the opportunity to present his stories and songs to a more grateful and new audience. After the initial reservation, the bard could no longer resist the boyish charm of the Witcher and finally accepted him enthusiastically.

Veit, on the other hand, had problems to put his usually smooth smile on his face. He certainly enjoyed the conversation with the shrill bard and under other circumstances he would have been very happy about their conversation. But every time his view dropped on Geralt who was riding in front of them with some distance, his stomach cramped and he had to turn away his gaze anxiously. He knew that the Witcher was angry with himself, not with Veit, but he felt responsible for the situation.

**~**

Geralt tightened the reins to follow the turn of the road. He had barely passed the curve when he could make out a row of buildings in some distance. He smiled grimly and was pleased that his memories had brought him reliably back to Oreton.

Geralt turned to his companions and gladly noticed that they followed him closely. He clicked his tongue and pressed his heels into the sides of his mare. Roach changed discontentedly into an unmotivated gallop and they bridged the distance to the village quickly.

As they passed the first building, Geralt tightened the reins until the horse was trotting slowly. He followed the road. To Geralt's satisfaction he reached a large house soon, with a prominent sign that showed a well-filled beer jug.

He got off the horse and nodded to the straw-blond, ragged fellow, who immediately stumbled towards him and waved greetings. "Sir, do you wish to keep your horse in the stable?", the boy asked hopefully.  
Geralt nodded again, this time to confirm. Afterwards he pointed to his companions who had also arrived at the tavern and dismounted. "The two horses have to be taken care of as well. We'll be leaving early in the morning," he explained and pressed a stack of crowns into the boy's hand. "I expect the horses to be perfectly provided."

The boy's eyes started to glow and he nodded exuberantly at Geralt. Eagerly he grabbed the reins of the horses and led them away towards the stable so enthusiastically that Veit had problems to loosen his swords from Lapis' saddle before the horse disappeared from his reach. Geralt laughed softly at the boy's eagerness, even if his origin was only too obvious to him. He had probably given the boy more money than his father could earn in a whole year.

"Can we?" he asked his comrades over his shoulder. When both hummed approvingly, Geralt went to the door of the tavern and opened it peppy.  
He felt an immediate gush of warm, stale air creeping him over. Charged with various keen nuances of the odours of peasant meals, thin beer and hard working people.

He did not let this stop him and stepped confidently into the taproom. As he had expected, almost the whole village was gathered here to end the day together with a drink.  
Geralt ignored the sceptical looks that were thrown at him. Trusting that Veit and Dandelion were following him, he walked straight towards the bar where he saw the innkeeper polishing jugs with a dirty cloth.

He had almost arrived at the bar when his eyes were suddenly drawn to a young woman who was busy sweeping the floor with a broom. He suspected that she was the innkeeper's daughter.  
She raised her head as if she felt his gaze and looked the Witcher straight in the eyes. Geralt noticed that she was quite pretty and young enough to be unmarried.  
He winked at her with a smile. Immediately, the young woman blushed and turned her gaze away in shame. Geralt smiled a little wider and gradually got an idea how he could spend his evening.

He bridged the last steps to the innkeeper and dropped his arm heavily on the bar to attract the man's attention.  
The man lifted his thick head sluggishly, first staring sceptically at Geralt and then turned towards Veit. After he had examined the two Witchers extensively, the inspection of Dandelion followed. "What do you need", the man finally asked through his puffy moustache, which almost completely covered his mouth and trembled when speaking.  
"Do you have three beds available?" Geralt replied with a question.  
The host nodded.  
"Then the beds for one night, three portions of whatever-cooks-there and plenty of beer to wash it down."  
The innkeeper inhaled intending to ask another question, but Geralt beat him to it by putting another handful of crowns on the bar.

The man's reaction was not quite as exuberant as the lad's, but he immediately turned around and yelled into a slightly angled and hard to see corner of the taproom: "Lisel, prepare three bowls of groats and don't you spare me the roast meat.” He hesitated briefly. "And then go down to the cellar and get the good beer. You hear me, woman?"  
Somewhere from the corner the approving growl of an annoyed woman sounded and Geralt turned satisfied to his companions. "Let's get a table."

**~**

_A warm body nestled comfortably against him and created a feeling of cosiness. Gently breath passed over his lips and yellow cat eyes met his own._

Geralt shook his head vigorously as if he could drive the images out of his head that had been haunting him all day.  
He shifted his weight more to his right knee and put his left foot on the crackling mattress. Then he grabbed the freckled woman's hip with both hands, pulled her a little closer and pushed even harder and faster.  
The innkeeper's daughter gasped in surprise and then fell back into short-winded moaning, in the same rhythm, as Geralt fucked her.

Her face blushed, which only made her freckles look darker, and her red-blonde hair partially came loose from her braided hair and stuck wet to her face.  
As her breathing accelerated further, Geralt bent deeper over her slender body to be able to penetrate her even further with every stroke. He rolled his hips a few more times and the young woman reached her climax with a soft scream.

He waited until the tremor of her body had subsided, then he quickly withdrew and got up from the bed to clean and dress himself again.  
He had just left the mattress when she turned her eyes, still glassy from orgasm, towards him and reached out a hand to him. Since she couldn't reach him, she stretched out her other arm towards him like an invitation. "Won't you stay?" she asked, trying to hide the shyness in her voice.

Geralt didn't turn to her but shook his head while he got into his trousers. "I'm leaving in the morning and I need sleep." He knew that the excuse sounded as cheap as it finally was, but right now he wished for nothing more than to get out of this room as fast as possible and never have to look at that woman again. He slipped into his shirt and without taking the time to close it, he turned to the innkeeper's daughter one last time.  
He suddenly realized that he had not even bothered to ask for her name. But now he felt no desire to do so. "Sleep well", he said rather gruffly and stormed out of the tiny room without even noticing her disappointed nodding.

Actually, Geralt wanted to enter the room where Veit and Dandelion were peacefully sleeping, but he didn't feel ready to join the other men again. So instead he walked through the dark corridor with quiet steps in the now empty taproom until he came through the door into the cold and humid night air.  
Sighing, the Witcher let the door close behind him, stepped aside and leaned his back against the wall. He hid his face frustratedly in his hands. The euphoria he usually felt after sex didn't set in. Instead, he felt a slight nausea in his stomach.  
He regretted that he had been so rejecting to the woman, but he just couldn't stand her presence anymore.

Slowly Geralt slid down the wall until he was huddled on the dirty floor.  
When he had entered the tavern in the early evening and his gaze fell on the woman, he was overcome with hope that he would be able to distract himself a bit by bedding her. Satisfied, he quickly realized that she wasn't unwilling at all and didn't have to be asked for long. So, it was even more frustrating for Geralt when he soon came to the conclusion that she couldn't bring him any joy.

He had fastly switched over to fucking her mechanically and could only be thankful that she came quite fast. His drifting thoughts disturbed him and he wanted to end the matter without taking care of his own orgasm.

Geralt inhaled deeply, held his breath for a moment and pushed it out hard while he stretched out his legs and clenched his fists. The dissatisfaction that he had felt all day long became apparent again. Geralt sighed silently and let his thoughts wander back to the events of the previous night.

♦

By nightfall they reached the outermost region in southern Velen.  
Since the nearest settlements, which offered a comfortable possibility to spend the night, were away at least a day's journey in each direction, they had decided to spend the night on the road.

Veit had noticed a small natural oriel made of trees, rocks and undergrowth that could offer them some shelter and the three men took their night's lodging there.  
In spite of wind protection and the small fire where they had warmed up and eaten their last meal of the day, it quickly became bitterly cold. The humid air crawled into their clothes, lay down on their skin and the men wrapped themselves tightly in their blankets before lying close together, hoping to fall asleep soon.  
As the night was driven away by the first rays of the sun and the cheerful chirping of the birds, Geralt slowly woke up. His eyes were still closed and he felt comfortable and, despite the early morning hours, pleasantly warm. It took a few moments before he realized that the warmth came from the body that pressed itself tightly against him and over which he had placed an arm himself while sleeping.

The Witcher had been forced to sleep on the street so often during the cold night in his life that he knew that people instinctively looked for a way to warm themselves. As he travelled on various occasions, with other people, this situation wasn't too strange at all and didn't worry him.

At least it didn't worry him until he slowly opened his eyes and he looked into the relaxed face of Veit, who cuddled up to him while sleeping.

He froze as the man's warm breath gently stroked his face, leaving a tingling sensation on his lips. He watched with paused breath as the man's eyelids first fluttered and then slowly opened.  
At the moment their eyes met, Geralt had the feeling that an invisible hand grabbed his stomach and pulled him unconsciously into the depths.  
He gasped as if someone had jumped on his chest and he became dizzy while a wave of euphoric sense of delight pulsated through him, starting from the centre of his body. The prickling that followed this wave flooded his arms and legs into his fingertips and toes, where it remained for a moment and then faded very slowly. Veit's lips suddenly became irresistibly attractive, opening slightly and forcing him to slowly approach with his own.

"DAMN COLD!"

Geralt abruptly crawled away from Veit and jumped on his legs to put distance between himself and the man as fast as possible.  
Dandelion's cursing and snorting had broken the spell quite suddenly and made him realize what he was up to.

He ignored the moaning of the bard who sat in his pile of blankets and tried to get even deeper into it, then Geralt walked away with trembling knees towards the little brook.

After a few steps he stopped and turned with awkward movement to Veit once more.  
The dark-haired Witcher was still lying on the ground but had raised his upper body a little by leaning on his elbows. He looked directly at Geralt with a mixture of consternation, confusion and a tiny, almost invisible smile.  
Irritated, Geralt turned around again and continued, almost in panic, his way to the brook.

Arriving there, he quickly got rid of his armour, tore his shirt off his body and dived head first into the ice-cold water up to his belly button.  
He stayed there for a few seconds, let the cold penetrate him and only then straightened up again, when he almost freezed.

A cold gust of wind made him shiver, but he ignored this impression.  
His head slowly cleared again, his thoughts ordered to their usual courses. After a while, Geralt came to the point that he could soberly observe the previous event. He refuses to recall the situation too precisely, because an anxious feeling became immediately noticeable again in his stomach. Instead, he got straight to finding excuses.

The most plausible although not most satisfying explanation Geralt found, was the unfortunate mixture of the cold night, his long abstinence, Veit's constant flirt attempts and the fact that he was practically still asleep at that moment.

He only prayed that Dandelion didn't notice any of this. Perhaps he would have misinterpreted the situation and soon another twisted and much too private ballad about him would resound from Novigrad's stages.

He got down to his knees and dived into the water again, then he squeezed the water out of his hair and stroked as much of it as possible from his skin before he slipped back into his shirt.

When he returned to their camp later, the bard was up too and discontentedly attached a rug to Pegasus' saddle.  
Veit knelt in front of the fire and broke small twigs to reignite it. He looked up and gave Geralt a smile, which quickly became insecure and then disappeared completely when the Witcher passed him without a word.  
Geralt took some bread and cheese from Roach's saddlebags. He gave some of the food to the both men. Then he turned away and sat down on a small rock to eat, while he remained silent.

He allowed himself to look at the man again, when Veit got up a few minutes later to saddle his own horse. While the Witcher handled the leather straps, Geralt could take an unnoticed look at his face, now and then.

A short time later the three men followed the muddy road again.  
Dandelion chatted merrily, but there was no place in Geralt's head for anything but the stubborn memory of a pair of sad, yellow cat eyes.

Dissatisfaction spread within him as he thought about it, and it grew stronger with every moment. Sullenly, Geralt tightened the reins to guide Roach back to the middle of the road and hoping that they would reach Oreton before nightfall.

He needed beer. Beer and a woman.

♦

An owl flew over the tavern and tore Geralt out of his thoughts with a quiet _huhuuu_. The ground he sat on and the midnights air were cold and humid and made him feel uncomfortable.  
He moved carefully but his old knee injury became noticeable again, with a sharp pain that passed through his leg.

Grouchy Geralt stood up and opened the wooden door to the taproom.  
It was time to go to sleep and the next day he decided not to think about the present and the previous night anymore. Dandelion approached him with a serious request and deserved his undivided attention.  
In addition, he felt remorse for the way he treated Veit. The man became such a good friend to and accompanied him out of pure altruism. But now he had to suffer from his childish behaviour.

Geralt provided right enough self-reflection to know that this wasn't the first time that he spontaneously reacted grumpy due to emotional insecurity. And regardless of everything Veit said or did, there was really no reason to use the Witcher to get rid of his frustration.

Geralt quietly closed the door behind him and was about to make his way to his bed when he noticed a small movement in the darkness from the corners of his eyes.  
He tried to grab his steel sword as he whirled around, but he realized that his hand was just cutting the air. He remembered that his swords were already lying on his narrow bed and he started cursing his inattention.  
Just one moment later, he relaxed again when he recognized the origin of the movement.  
Veit leaned against a wall with crossed legs and folded arms and watched him in silence.

The two men stared mutely at each other for a few moments and Geralt felt more and more uncomfortable with every second that passed. "I thought you were already asleep", he finally broke the awkward silence.  
"I was distracted", Veit replied monosyllabically and pushed himself off the wall.  
Geralt had to suppress the disturbing urge to move backwards when the Witcher came slowly towards him. Veit didn't stop until he was directly in front of him and gave him a penetrating but unreadable look.  
Geralt was overcome by the unpleasant feeling that he was shrinking more and more under his gaze. He didn't know what exactly was the trigger for his unusual reaction, but he felt frighteningly addicted to his mercy.  
But then Veit suddenly sagged a little and his appearance softened again and got the same sad note he wore in the morning.  
"Did it help?", he asked abruptly.  
Confused, Geralt frowned and gave him a surprised look.  
"Did it help?", Veit repeated once more. "Do you feel better now?", he added.  
Geralt tried to figure out the meaning of the man's questions, but he found no answer. "What exactly do you mean?", he finally asked.  
He could see that Veit clenched his teeth strongly, because the muscles of his jaw tightened. It seemed to take him quite some effort to keep talking. "I want to know if you feel better now that you've fucked the innkeeper's daughter."

Geralt flinched as if he'd been beaten and the blush rose to his face.  
His romantic adventures had never been unpleasant for him in the past, but for some reason he was ashamed that Veit had noticed his tête-à-tête.  
He shifted his weight to the other foot to cover up his discomfort while he was thinking.

He instantly remembered that only a moment ago he had resolved to leave these events behind and get in line again. So Geralt nodded slightly and wanted to confirm his rather direct question to Veit, to check off the subject. But when he looked into the man's eyes, he faltered. "No", he whispered quietly instead, without really knowing what he was doing. "It was horrible."

Veit closed his eyes, took a deep breath and leaned back a little.  
Slowly he opened his eyes again and looked at him in melancholy. He raised one hand and laid it gently against Geralt's stubbly cheek. With his thumb he stroked the Witcher's face while he slowly bent over.  
Geralt knew that the man wanted to give him the opportunity to retreat, but his body didn't obey and he had to wait until their lips met.

The touch was sweet, tender and almost innocent and triggered a thunderstorm of different emotions that changed in such a fast sequence that his brain simply stopped working out of self-protection.

He knew that he should actually push him away and be outraged about this gesture, but the tingling warm feeling in his stomach made him dizzy again and his head filled with a fog that repressed all logic.

When they separated after an eternity that had passed far too quickly, Geralt found it difficult to keep a straight stand. His heartbeat roared in his ears and he had to force himself to breathe calm and regularly.

Sighing, Veit took a step back to create some distance between them and smiled sadly at Geralt. "Just tell me when you're ready for this. I'll wait."

It took some time until Geralt's mind had caught up with the events and brought him back into the here and now. When the time came, he realized with astonishment that Veit was no longer standing right before him.  
Mechanically, he set himself in motion and his legs carried him into the guests' room. He meandered between the other beds until he arrived his own. His hands took over removing his clothes by themselves and he lay down under the scratchy blanket.  
His whole body felt numb, his head was wrapped in cotton wool. The whole world was somehow crazy and everything was shifted by at least one meter.

Slowly Geralt ran his fingers over his lips. He turned his head to the side and peered into the darkness where he could see Veit lying on his bed at some distance.

The Witcher breathed calmly and steadily, but the soft glow of his eyes betrayed that he was watching Geralt as well.  
Geralt turned his head and stared at the ceiling. He no longer had the strength to think about what had happened. Instead he concentrated on the rhythmic breathing and the soft snoring of Dandelion.

It would be a damn long night.

**~**

Dandelion woke up when the innkeeper's wife noisily opened the door to inform them that breakfast was ready to be served. The fact that Lindenvale was now within reach and also the growling of his stomach made him forget for once how much he hated getting up early. He threw off the blanket and swung his legs from the bed.

A stabbing pain in his shoulder told him how worn out and cheap the mattress was on which he had been sleeping. He put one hand on his shoulder and let his arm rotate.  
His eyes fell on Geralt who was still sleeping, to Dandelion's surprise. He got up and went to the Witcher. When he touched him gently on the shoulder, the man flinched so strongly that Dandelion frightened leapt backwards. "Is everything all right?", the bard asked with a frown.  
Geralt dizzily stared at him, then he took a look at Veit who was just putting on his boots and turned his back to them.  
The Witcher sighed and stroked his face nervously with one hand. "Slept badly," he finally muttered. Dandelion shrugged and swallowed a pun on Geralt's age. His friend didn't look as if his sense of humour had woken up with him.

The bard reached for his doublet. "Come on, let's hurry. If we don't dawdle, we can make it to Lindenvale by afternoon."

♦

The breakfast was uneventful in every way. The cereal groats were edible, even though it was nothing Marlene would ever serve to a guest. Also, the atmosphere was calm.  
Apart from the three men, only the innkeeper and his wife were present, his daughter did not show up and was probably busy somewhere doing the laundry or cleaning vegetables.

To Dandelion's satisfaction, he noticed that Geralt, despite his obvious exhaustion, was a bit more lively again and that he had stopped brooding of the previous day.  
However, it seemed a few times, as if Geralt was avoiding the gaze of the other Witcher, but the bard dismissed this as an imagination. Because after they had emptied their bowls, Geralt stood up and signaled them the departure with a friendly slap on the back.

Veit nodded to him and left the tavern directly to fetch the horses.

Geralt had already grabbed his luggage but walked towards the innkeeper again who had taken his usual place behind the counter. "Have there been any attacks around here in the last few days?" Geralt asked the man. Dandelion tilted his head and listened curiously to the answer.  
The innkeeper cleared his throat noisily. "My sister lived further north with her husband. It was less than a day's journey from here. Two days ago, they passed through here. They wanted to get out of Velen as soon as possible. She said the monsters had killed some families in the west. He paused a moment to think. "You're lucky you came here now. My wife has been nagging at me for days that she wants to leave too." He sighed. "But where are we going to run to?" he added bitterly.

Geralt nodded understandingly. He grabbed another coin from his pocket and handed it to the man without any comment. Then he gave Dandelion a hint and started to leave the tavern.  
Just before he reached the door, the man spoke to him again. "Tell me, Witcher, are you here to kill the monsters?", he wanted to know, and in his voice was a small hint of hope.  
"At least we will try," Geralt replied and disappeared through the door.

♦

The weather was quite pleasant for Velen, the horses were visibly pleased about the break in a stable and they continued their journey. They made good progress.  
Dandelion unpacked his lute and gently plucked at the strings while they shared funny stories. Occasionally their mood was dampened when a single haggard hiker or a ragged family, pulling handcarts behind them, walked past them and gave them frightened glances.

A few times Geralt tried to talk to the people, but none of them answered. They just hurried their steps and quickly disappeared out of vision.

"One could think they were fleeing from war," Veit said with raised eyebrows as he watched another couple who were running away from them.  
"I told you that the people are in panic", Dandelion replied, "I only hope that Lindenvale hasn't been infested in the meantime."  
Geralt raised his hand in a calming motion. "It doesn't make much sense to worry about that now. We'll be there in a few hours and then we'll know more. Until then, let's hope for the best."  
The others nodded.

"We should stay near to the water, the paths here are so winding that we might make a detour if we follow the common road", Geralt added and steered Roach leisurely further west.

They rode on until they reached the shore of the lake and followed its course northwards. Just before noon, Geralt could make out a small island in some distance.  
He remembered having been here before and was glad that his memory did not mislead him this time either.  
Some time later, when they were on the same level with the tiny island, Dandelion suddenly made Pegasus stop. "Tell me, does anyone live there?" the bard asked, pointing with one hand to the small piece of land.

Surprised, Geralt tightened the reins and Roach stopped while he looked in the direction Dandelion was pointing to. He squinted his eyes and could make out a shabby cabin on the island. A whole swarm of crows seemed to feel at home there and circled around the hut, barely visible in the distance.  
Geralt was just about to turn back to Dandelion to let him know that probably nobody lives there. When suddenly a faint light flashed up in one of the windows. Quite similar to the lightning of a candle. Just to immediately disappear again.

Stunned, he looked sideways and Veit confirmed with a nod. He had seen the light as well. "Maybe a refugee?" the dark-haired Witcher speculated.  
"He wouldn't have escaped very far, doesn't he?", Geralt replied.  
Dandelion shivered before he turned to the Witcher. "I have a strange feeling about this, let's ride on."  
Geralt's curiosity was triggered, but Dandelion was right. They were expected and he gave him a confirming nod. He grabbed the reins as a sharp gust of wind pushed the high grass on the bank apart and a small boat appeared.

"Wait a moment," he stopped the others once again. He broodingly nibbled on his bottom lip while his companions looked at him astonished.  
"Geralt, we really have to go on", Veit now spoke up. He nodded again.  
"I know, but there's something strange about it," he said hesitantly. He watched the crows circling for a moment and then made a spontaneous decision. "Let's rest a few minutes, the horses will be grateful. Find a shallower place by the shore and lets water them. I'll take a short look over there in the time", Geralt explained confidently.  
Dandelion wanted to protest, but the Witcher interrupted him. "I'll be back in a few minutes, then we'll leave. I just want to know who lives over there."  
The bard mumbled something incomprehensible into his neatly trimmed beard, but didn't raise any objections anymore.

Geralt dismounted Roach, untied the swords from his saddle and handed the reins to Veit. "I'll be right back," he repeated once more, then he walked carefully over the uneven ground, covered by almost shoulder-high grass, to the place where the boat was moored.  
A quick inspection showed him that the boat was in poor condition. But probably sufficiently seaworthy to get him dry to the other side. He untied the rope from the half mouldered pole and jumped in. The bench creaked under his weight but held on as he sat down and grabbed the sculls. He pushed away from the shore and rowed towards the island with powerful pulls.

It didn't take long before he was close enough to the island to spot the small rotten pier and head straight for it. Skilfully he maneuvered the small boat up and then threw the rope over one of the poles.  
He cast a sceptical glance at the rotten wood of the pier and decided to jump directly to the shore with a wide jump. He landed almost silently on the muddy ground, but still scared up a few crows, who crowed away.

Geralt quietly unsheathed his steel sword half, but when a strange feeling came over him, he put it back and took the silver sword instead.  
Carefully, he put one foot next to the other, ready to defend himself as he approached the rather ramshackle hut - almost a ruin.

Without taking his eyes off the hut for too long, he observed the small piece of land and made a quick list of his impressions.  
Apart from the building and the pier, there was nothing but shaggy scrub, small crippled trees and a few scrawny berry bushes. Only the rather lush mandrake population was something like remarkable.

Geralt reached the door of the hut and gently pushed it open with his left hand while he held his sword in his right. The interior was indeed lit by a candle that had almost completely burned down, but which was now standing on the floor and was no longer visible from the outside.

Geralt let his eyes wander through the room. Beside the candle there were further signs for a resident. At some places bundles of herbs were hanging to dry, but still so fresh that they could have been hung there only recently. In one corner several mandrake roots were piled up and next to it was a bed on which some blankets were lying and which obviously had been used not too long ago.

A movement in the opposite corner caught Geralt's attention.  
A man stood with his back to him, in front of a low table and concentratedly filled various powders into small phials. "I was wondering when you'd get here, my friend."

Geralt almost dropped his sword. "Regis?", he asked unbelievingly.

**~**

Laughing Geralt embraced his old friend. The Vampire did return the gesture not less heartily. When they stepped back a moment later, dozens of questions rushed through Geralt's head and he tried to build up a halfway meaningful order. "What are you doing here?", he still asked with a broad grin. "I thought you were somewhere far from civilization, keeping Dettlaff company."

Regis' own grin took on a slightly tortured expression for a moment. "I did that too. It took me a while to find him, but I did. And unfortunately, he doesn't care much for my company." He shook his head a little sadly. "But my obligation to him is clear." He took a short break. "Nor would I have left him if one of my ravens hadn't told me that you were about to plunge headlong into another Vampire affair."

Geralt smiled while he shook his head. "So, the bird really was yours. Are you always watching me?" Regis smiled a little embarrassed before answering. "Your health is very dear to me, my friend. I would be very sorry if anything happened to you while I was away."  
Geralt looked embarrassed at the floor before moving on to the next question. "You know about the attacks? Do you have any more precise clues?" he asked and then faltered in shock. "Wait, we know that they are a pack of different lower Vampires. Does that mean...?"  
Regis interrupted him with a wave of his slim hand. "Dettlaff's not involved. I assure you. He is still in Nazair and has no desire to get involved with humans in any way. When it comes to Vampires, I'm afraid I don't know any more than you do. I just arrived here two days ago myself," he explained while pointing at the hut with a circling movement of his hand. Then he walked across the room towards the bed and grabbed his bag under the blanket, opened it and began to put the phials inside.

"We'll have plenty of time for a long chat soon. So, I suggest that you go back to Dandelion and your fascinating new friend. I will pack my belongings and join you soon."

Geralt crossed his arms with a grin. "You are very well informed for the fact that you only care for my safety."

**~**

Dandelion jumped up when Geralt moored at the shore again. He waved his arms theatrically. "Geralt, what took you so long?", the bard wanted to know, but gave the Witcher no chance to answer before he continued. "What have you discovered?"  
Geralt grinned broadly, but didn't answer yet. He threw a glaze around, then asked in turn, "Where is Veit?"  
Dandelion pointed over his shoulder. "Had to hit the bushes. What was over there?"  
Geralt nodded and then said in a triumphant voice: "None other than our old friend Regis."

Dandelion opened his eyes in amazement and tried to say something, but trying was all he was capable of. Geralt grinned amused but understood his reaction absolutely. He was very happy to have his dear friend back, too. After the long time all he could do, was to miss him painfully, he was still not able to realise all the emotions triggered by his return.

Dandelion calmed down, but before he could response anything, the two men noticed a shred of gray mist moving quickly and against the wind across the water towards them. The surprised face of the bard, changed to an increasingly joyful expression as the Vampire materialized right in front of them. Dandelion laughed happily and stepped forward to pull the man into an embrace. "It's good to see you again, Regis. And I'm delighted that you've come to join us on this adventure," he explained, patting the Vampire on the shoulder.  
Regis smiled and hooked his fingers at shoulder level into the straps of the bag. "I feel the same way, my dear Dandelion."

Crackling twigs made the three men to turn their heads aside. "Ah, the last of the bunch," Regis said owlishly.

Veit stumbled out of the vegetation and picked a stubborn twig from his hair. When he looked up and saw three instead of the expected two men standing right in front of him, he stopped abruptly. He glanced at the newcomer for a moment, who looked at him not less interested.

"Veit, this is my good friend Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy", Geralt introduced the Vampire in a formal manner.  
Regis bowed slightly and smiled at the Witcher with hidden teeth.  
To Geralt's surprise, Veit didn't answer anything and proceeded to stare intensely. For quite a while, the Witcher did nothing else but examine Regis from head to toe and capture every detail of him.

"Veit?", Geralt finally asked anxiously when there was still no reaction.  
All of a sudden, the dark-haired Witcher jumped forward, bridged the distance between them in a blink of an eye, drew his silver sword and pressed it to Regis' throat, with an ice-cold smile. Dandelion cried out in horror.  
"And what does a Vampire have to deal with a Witcher?", Veit wanted to know.  
Regis didn't bat an eyelid while the man threatened him with his blade.

Geralt and even Dandelion gasped for breath and tried to get between the Witcher and the Vampire. "I assure you, he is a friend and certainly no threat," the other Witcher hurried to explain and put a hand on Veit's blade to gently push it away.  
The bard shook his head violently in confirmation. "He hasn't drunk blood for ages and we owe him our lives multiple times," he added.  
Regis lowered his eyes in embarrassment. He felt honoured by the fact that his friends defended him without any hesitation.

Veit looked around, first at Geralt, then at Dandelion and finally at Regis again. He considered for several breathes, then inhaled deeply and put his sword with an elegant move into the sheath on his back, while he shifted his weight equally on both feet again.

"Very well," he said to Geralt. "I'll trust your judgment until I have built my own." Then he put a hand to his chest and turned to Regis. "I am Veit. I'm pleased to meet another friend of Geralt." He indicated a slight bow, which was reciprocated by Regis.  
"The pleasure is all mine."

♦

They continued their journey to Lindenvale and the settlement gradually came within reach.  
Regis refused Geralt's offer to ride on Roach with him and instead walked effortlessly beside them. As they continued to follow the shore, they chatted merrily. Regis told the few things he was able to say about Dettlaff and then listened fascinated to Geralt's story. The Witcher described his life in retirement in detail and told how his friendship with Veit began.  
Regis nodded approvingly to the man when Geralt explained that the Witcher agreed to help immediately after Dandelion had contacted him.

Veit was silent most of the time but listened fascinated.  
Especially when Regis spoke, he could hardly take his eyes off him. Geralt understood his interest well. Acquaintance to higher Vampires wasn't common and the opportunity to talk to one without being a fellow Vampire was quite extraordinary.  
Geralt had no illusions about how much his friendship with the Garasham Vampire privileged him.

Dandelion managed to listen for a while, but now he was itching to get involved in the conversation again. "We are really lucky to welcome you back, Regis," the bard explained. "What's better than a Vampire ally to mess with Vampires?"  
Regis frowned, but smiled before answering. "Please don't put me on the same level as lower Vampires. At best, they can be considered distant relatives at best." He made a sweeping gesture. "There are hairy mammals in Ophir that live in trees and eat fruits all day long. There are some who claim they are relatives to humans. I suspect you wouldn't be too happy if someone compared you with such a stupid creature." He gave the bard a meaningful look.

Dandelion snorted at the lengthy execution. "I meant it's good to have someone around who knows what we're dealing with."  
Regis sighed softly. "I wish I could share your optimism. Unfortunately, it's a mystery to me why the various lower Vampires are gathering together. Normally they behave peacefully among themselves, but each species prefers to stay with its kind," he put a hand to his chin and brooded. "I only experienced once that the individual species have joined together and that was during the unfortunate events in Toussaint, which, to my pity, were the fault of my friend Dettlaff. And in fact, that's exactly what worries me."

The Witchers gave him confused looks.  
"Now Dettlaff is far away, as I said. Unless the Vampires have joined forces on their own. I fear that we are dealing with a higher Vampire. One who has the ability to command lower Vampires, like Dettlaff.”  
Geralt nibbled his lip as he thought about Regis' words. "Didn't you say that higher Vampires have unique abilities?" he finally asked.  
The vampire nodded. "I am pleased that your memory still works flawless, my dear Geralt." He smiled amused. "But I probably expressed myself a little unclearly. Our individual abilities differ so much within my species, that it is impossible to use them as a classification. Moreover, we develop these abilities over the course of our lives, and just like personality, the outcome varies from individual to individual. You won't find two Vampires, Witchers or humans who have had the same experiences for all of their lifetime. Therefore, please forgive me, if I was so imprecise by speaking of unique abilities. After all, it is quite possible for two Vampires to be born with the same predisposition."

Dandelion moaned. "Could we perhaps concentrate on getting to Lindenvale first? My head is spinning and all this speculation is getting us nowhere. Maybe Eskel knows more."  
Regis smiled at the bard. "As you wish, Dandelion. Which topic would suit you more at the moment?" The bard tilted his head and thought. Finally, he shrugged, but just a moment later a mischievous grin appeared on his face.  
"Have you recently made the acquaintance of any Succubi?"  
"Dandelion!", Geralt and Regis groaned in chorus, annoyed.  
"One may well ask," replied the bard in a good mood. Before anyone else could reply, Veit suddenly showed interest.  
"Succubi?", he asked simply.  
Dandelion laughed loudly and since neither Regis nor Geralt stopped him, he began to tell the Witcher merrily about their first journey together and at great length Regis love affair with the succubus in Beauclair. He talked for quite a while and decorated his narrative with theatrical gestures and rather exaggerated dramatic turns of phrase, which regularly caused both Geralt and Regis to shake their heads.

"Anyway, Regis... intervention prevented Geralt from carrying out the mission and the Succubus was able to live on, much to the delight of the male population of Beauclair," he finally concluded his dissolute story.

For a moment, Veit remained in pondering silence and let the story sink in.

If Dandelion had expected applause for his story, he was unfortunately disappointed. Much to the astonishment of the other men, Veit's face darkened and he said bitterly, "You should have killed her."

Geralt turned and stared at him stunned.  
Regis stayed calm with this statement. He waved one hand. "Do you think that every kind of monster deserves to die?"  
Veit looked at the Vampire piercingly. "I'm a Witcher, it's our way to kill monsters that endanger other people."  
Finally, Geralt found his voice again and said: "She didn't kill anyone, she wasn't evil."  
"It doesn't matter", he replied. "I'm sure she wasn't. In fact, it would be rather absurd to assume that she would kill people out of spite. Succubi feed on life force. If she would kill people intentionally, it would be like a farmer burning his fields just because he enjoys the flames. But they have to feed, and sooner or later a succubus will kill. Not intentionally, but it will happen."

Geralt thought about these words before answering. "They act according to their nature."  
Veit smiled grimly. "So do Nekker, and yet you have no scruples to hunt them down."  
Geralt flinched at this comparison.  
But Regis nodded his head slowly. "I admit, your arguments cannot be dismissed."

Veit shook his head and then continued in a more conciliatory tone: "Please don't misunderstand me. I am absolutely against killing monsters just because they are not Humans, Witchers or Elves. If a Troll, a Nymph, a Werewolf or ...", he nodded in Regis direction. "...a Vampire lives his life peacefully and causes no harm to anyone, then we have no right to hunt them. But if you have dedicated your life to protecting others, as we Witchers have done, you can't spare dangerous monsters just because they have nice tits.”  
He paused for a moment before going on to say something more bitter: "If you had killed the Succubus, none of the men there would probably have thanked you. They finally realise that they are doomed when they lie between the legs of these monsters and feel them tearing the last spark of life from them. Still, it would have been the right thing to do... if only for the deceived wives."

Geralt sighed faintly.  
At first, he was very shocked by the man's words, but now he had to admit with shame that his opinion was by no means as radical as he feared for a brief moment. He could not help but even agree with him and took a side glance at Regis.  
The Vampire walked silently next to Roach, pressed his lips together and frowned.

♦

In the afternoon they finally reached their destination.  
Lindenvale rose pleasantly undisturbed right in front of them and, despite the poor facades and muddy streets, seemed very inviting to the group. The mood had improved quickly after their debate about the monster hunt, but the two Witchers and especially Dandelion were exhausted after the long days of travelling.

When they passed the first houses of the village, they had agreed to move directly into the tavern. Anyway, they expected that Eskel to be there, if he was still in town.

It wasn't long before they could find the right building and to Geralt's surprise, Eskel leaned against the wall next to the door.

When the Witcher saw the group arriving, a broad grin appeared on his face.  
The horrible scar distorted the corners of his mouth, giving him a gruesome look that didn't match his friendly nature at all. "Hey Geralt", the Witcher greeted him and pushed himself off the wall. "So Dandelion managed to lure you away from your soft sheets and the richly laid table after all. I was afraid I would have to do this without you."  
Geralt jumped off Roach and hugged his friend. "You know, I'd never miss an opportunity to wade through mud and filth to fight a potentially deadly battle somewhere in the wilderness."  
Eskel laughed and patted him on the back. "I'm glad you're here." Then his face became serious. "I've found some support. ...But Geralt, I tell you, there are dozens of these monsters. We need all the help we can get."

Geralt nodded in response and then remembered his companions. He introduced Veit and Regis, whom Eskel greeted both heartily.  
He was quite grateful to have Veit as another Witcher at his side and had to struggle to deny himself the strange curiosity that came over him when he saw Regis. As one of Geralt's closest friends, he knew his history and was aware of Regis' vampiric nature.

Dandelion also welcomed the Witcher and handed over Pegasus' reins to the Vampire, while Veit took the reins of Lapis and Roach.  
Both of them apologized and lead the horses to the nearby stable. Meanwhile Geralt wanted to ask how his old friend fared, but a small scream drew the attention of the two men to Dandelion.

The bard opened the door to the taproom and stared into the ample room with wide eyes.  
Astonished, Geralt frowned.  
Eskel grinned slightly. "Your buddy Zoltan arrived here a few days ago. Dandelion's sweetheart was obviously concerned because he didn't show up anymore and sent him off to check on things. Nice guy. Agreed to roll some Vampire heads as soon as I explained the situation to him."

Geralt's eyes lit up in delight. The Vampire matter was extremely unpleasant, but the fact that almost all of his friends were reunited and he had even been able to add another one to their group made him very glad. His attention turned again to Dandelion who was still standing in the open door.

"What's the matter?", he asked the bard.  
Dandelion turned his head towards him. "There's a boy sitting there."  
Geralt raised an eyebrow in wonder. "A Witcher's lad," Dandelion finally added, causing Eskel to laugh out loud.

Astonished, Geralt looked back and forth between the men, then he decided to have a look at Dandelion's discovery himself.  
He went to the door and let his gaze slip through the taproom. He didn't really expect that Dandelion could be right, since there hadn't been any youngsters among the Witchers for decades, but he was ready to be proven wrong.

It took a moment until Geralt had searched all tables in the quite opulent room. Finally, he found Zoltan sitting at one of them, enjoying a huge beer. And in fact, a Witcher in heavy armour was sitting next to him at the front of the table.  
Geralt pruned for a moment, then he bit his lips to suppress the laughter that now came over him as well.

When he had calmed down again, he snapped his fingers in Eskel's direction. "Come and help me, I can't remember the name."  
Eskel wiped his eyes before he said, "Valka."  
Geralt nodded as soon as his memory came back.

Confused, Dandelion stared at the Witchers. "Valka? That's a rather unusual name for a man."  
Again, Eskel snorted with laughter.  
"My dear Dandelion, that may be because this isn't a boy, she's a woman." He gurgled. "And certainly not a young one anymore," he added with a wink.  
Dandelion turned his stunned head back into the taproom and stared at the female Witcher. Geralt smiled and followed his gaze.

Despite his amusement he could understand Dandelion's confusion. Since their last meeting, when he and Eskel were still trained in Kaer Morhen, the woman had changed.  
Her formerly long dark blonde hair had given way to a somewhat messy fade-cut. The wavy strands of the longer top hair hung into her completely unmade face, emphasizing the sharp features. She wore the long armour of the Bear School, with a leather breastplate, obviously made for a male Witcher, concealing every telltale feminine curve of her body.

The Witcher must have noticed she was being stared at and looked up. When her gaze fell on the two men, she smiled wryly and arose from her chair.

As she walked towards them, Geralt couldn't help but admit that at first glance she really looked more like a yobbish brat and less like a grown woman.  
When she stopped right in front of them and her face waved to a smile that made her eyes shine and little telltale wrinkles appeared around her eyes. The illusion disappeared and Geralt recognized the amiable Witcher who had taught him, together with Eskel and the other boys.

"Geralt from Rivia," she said in a pleasant voice. "I am glad to see you again after such a long time." She paused for a moment and examined him from tip to toe. "I must say you look very well. When I think back to the slim boy you used to be, I never thought you'd fit your armour so well."

Geralt smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. "I am happy to see you again, too. I must admit you look a bit different."  
Valka laughed. "Whether you're a Witcher or not, a woman shouldn't travel alone these days." She smiled. "Or rather, one shouldn't travel alone - as a woman."

Geralt nodded with a grin. Before he could say anything else, another scream rang out behind him. Veit had returned from the stable in the meantime and had stood on his toes to look over Geralt's shoulder. When he saw Valka, he pushed his way between Dandelion and Geralt and drew the woman in his arms.  
"It's great to see you again," he shouted laughing and Valka didn't seem less pleased. The two held their embrace for a moment, then they slowly released and looked at each other with a warm smile.

Geralt felt a small, stabbing feeling in his chest. If he had to describe it, he might have associated it with jealousy. But fortunately, he didn't have to and could just push it into the back of his consciousness unused. Instead, he gave free rein to his curiosity and cleared his throat to attract their attention.  
Although he suspected that Veit had got to know the Witcher, just like himself, through lessons. However, he still wanted to ask how they knew each other. But before he was able to, Valka's gaze wandered from his face over his shoulder and the smile suddenly disappeared from her face.

Astonished, Geralt turned around and noticed that Regis stood behind him completely frozen.  
He turned back to Valka and wanted to make a hurried statement in order to avoid another blade at his friend's throat, but before he could say a single word, the female Witcher started speaking in a cold voice.

"I see the rumours of your death were somewhat exaggerated, Emiel Regis."

Now Geralt was freezing in surprise. He looked at his friend, who still didn't react and only gritted his teeth in silence.  
"You... know each other?", he asked cautiously.  
Valka nodded without taking her eyes off the Vampire. "We had the… pleasure of meeting in Brugge many moons ago", she explained.  
Geralt swallowed with a dry throat. "That means?", he wanted to know.

Valka slowly turned her head to look at Geralt. Her cold smile seemed threatening as she explained: "He killed people for their blood and for coins I cut off his head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
>  **Next time:**  
>  Valka tells about her first fateful encounter with Regis
> 
> Thank you very much for the kudos. ♥ I appreciate any kind of feedback.


	5. Death is only the beginning

Geralt hurried to walk through the muddy streets of Lindenvale. He was almost forced to run in order not to lose sight of Regis. He was sure that the Vampire marched unerringly towards the edge of the village. As soon as he would be certain that no one was around, he changed into mist and wouldn't be found for some time.

Geralt cursed and actually started to run when Regis turned around a corner and briefly disappeared from his field of vision.  
As he circled the building behind which his friend disappeared, an obstacle appeared right in front of him and forced him to stop. Much to Geralt's surprise, Regis now stood directly in front of him and stared at him with empty eyes.  
He wanted to say something and already opened his mouth when a gesture was made to silence him and he closed his mouth again.  
"I beg you Geralt, leave me alone", the Vampire said tormented.  
The Witcher bemoaned for a moment, then he started speaking. "Listen, I can understand that the situation is not pleasant for you, but we need your help and...", he hesitated briefly, "she didn't exactly attack you with a drawn blade. I am sure that if we explain to her that you don't kill anymore, she will accept you."

Geralt flinched when Regis unexpectedly burst out into resounding laughter. It disturbed and confused him, for there was no joy to be heard from his friend's laughter. Rather he sounded hysterical and desperate. He was slightly horrified when the Vampire finally calmed down but his eyes got a much wetter glow than Geralt had ever seen before or wanted to see. The Vampire buried his face in his hands and when he finally spoke again, his voice sounded muffled.  
"Yes. The situation is not pleasant for me. ...you can't even begin to imagine how unpleasant the situation is." He looked up again and took a deep breath. "I promised you my help and you shall have it, my friend. Nevertheless, I beg you to leave me alone for now. I assure you I will join you again tomorrow. He paused for a moment, looking around carefully. "Please be assured that Valka has no intention of putting me out of action again. Even if she had every reason to do so. Things are far more complicated than you can imagine."

Before Geralt could answer anything, the Vampire turned into a cloud of grey mist and disappeared in the twilight. The Witcher cursed again and started to brood over the mysterious words for a while.  
After some time of pointless brooding, he turned around and stomped unhappily back to the tavern. Again, he had to let Regis go. But this time hopefully only for a few hours.

**~**

The atmosphere in the taproom was cheerful in a depressing way. The inhabitants of Lindenvale and some refugees passing through, indulged in beer and hooch. They joked and laughed, and would have seemed perfectly normal if the laughter on their faces had not suddenly died down and desperation spread as soon as they thought they were not being watched.

Geralt had also observed this form of overcoming fear on other occasions and was not fooled. The trained eye saw, Lindenvale was strangled by fear. Geralt sighed when he looked over to the long table where Zoltan, Eskel, Dandelion, Veit and Valka were already sitting. For the mood that prevailed there, no trained eye was needed.  
Obviously, they had managed to sit down at the table together, but now the group remained silent in embarrassment and everyone tried to avoid eye contact with the others. The bomb that Valka had detonated apparently also let the mood go up in smoke.

He went to the counter, waved the bald innkeeper over and ordered beer and hooch for their whole group. Geralt waited until the man put the huge jugs on a dirty tray and then balanced it carefully towards the table.

Once there, he sat down on the free seat opposite to the female Witcher, took the jugs one by one from the tray and slipped two of them over the table to each of his friends. An incomprehensible murmur rose, which the Witcher interpreted as an expression of thanks.  
He took his generously proportioned hooch, cheered the group and drank a sip that ran down his throat burning. His companions immediately did the same and he had to suppress a smile when he saw that everyone without exception had reached for the hard alcohol first.  
When the jugs were put down on the table again shortly afterwards, one could feel the atmosphere relaxing a little. Chairs were moved while those who sat on them slipped from their compulsively cramped pose into a more comfortable slouch. Breathing became more unstressed and the first tentative attempts at eye contact with each other were made.

Geralt could even see Zoltan thoughtfully scratching his beard, which was always an unmistakable sign for a comment that would follow shortly. But even before he was able to do so, Dandelion grabbed his jug again, emptied the drink in one gulp and rammed it back on the table with a loud bang. Then he turned directly to Valka and said loudly, "Heeesaaahhdswheerefahhmaaas!"

Immediately all heads turned to him and stared at him as if he had grown a second head. The female Witcher blinked irritated a few times and then asked nicely: "Please?"  
Dandelion cleared his throat embarrassed and waited a moment until the sharp burning of the alcohol subsided and he could feel his tongue again. When he started to speak this time, he stayed much quieter, but both, Zoltan and Geralt immediately paled and the two exchanged panicked looks across the table top.

"He said, it were the farmers."  
Valka pondered for a moment and then shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't follow you." The bard slipped visibly worried on his chair and tugged at his jabot, while the woman nodded at him several times asking him to do so.

Geralt used the short break to consider whether he should stop his friend, but to his shame he had to admit that he would love to get an answer to this question and Valka was the only one who could answer it at the moment. Finally, Dandelion took a deep breath, sat upright and tensed his shoulders, trying to create an impression as dignified as possible.  
"When Regis told us about his past, he said that farmers had cut him into pieces."

Valka leaned back on her chair in astonishment and stared at the bard. When she opened her mouth to reply immediately, Dandelion got carried away.

"How old are you anyway? Regis said that he was still quite young when this happened to him. He must be five hundred years old now. And how do you know Geralt? How do you know him?" He pointed his finger at Veit. "So, why are you here?"

A loud crash caused Dandelion to flinch. Zoltan had placed his beer jug powerful on the table that the beer spill over and several small puddles formed on the top. "Damn it, Dandelion, at least give her a chance to say something before you make her so pissed off that she smashes your head with her sword."  
The bard gazed at his friend in disgust, but immediately closed his mouth. He looked back at the Witcher and muttered shamefully, "Excuse me."

Valka, still leaning back in her chair, laid her head back and stared at the ceiling, while all eyes were fixed on her. She was silent for quite a while, then she sighed, "Four hundred and thirty-nine," was all she replied at first.  
But before anyone could reply anything, she continued. "Regis would live to be four hundred and thirty-nine this year. Not five hundred. And as for me, well, I'm happy to say that I'm considerably younger."  
She lowered her head again and grinned amusedly at the group. "I am only four hundred and seven years old."

Dandelion opened his mouth, but Zoltan was faster. He reached for his beer again and saluted the Witcher. "Well girl, you amazed me. I would have bet my best Gwentcard that you weren't a day older than three hundred." Valka laughed loudly and also reached for her beer to return the gesture.  
"That's why I like dwarves, they always know what women want to hear." She took a sip at first, but then began to wave the jug thoughtfully.  
"But, let's return to your questions," she said, looking at the bard. "If I'm correct, what Regis told you is rather a shortened version. I guess that's only too understandable considering the subjects matter. ...the farmers have hired me to hunt him down."

Geralt quickly bent forward, attracting the woman's attention as intended. "It didn't escape my attention that you made no effort to decapitate him again," he remarked cautiously. Valka nodded slowly while she chewed on her inner cheek.  
"It might not have seemed like that earlier, but I am actually glad to know that he is still alive. The rumours I heard about his alleged death were far from pleasant." She fell into a thoughtful silence, staring at the sloshing beer in her jug.

After a short while, Veit nudged her with a smile. "Come on, go ahead", he urged her curiously. She returned the smile and then fulfilled his request. "If you take a closer look, the answers to your questions are somehow connected. Because just to understand why I am here, you need to know where I once started. Even if you...", she pointed to the other Witchers, "already know a part of the story. Well, at least Eskel should know it, since he was the only one of you three who actually listened to me."

Geralt and Veit made embarrassed faces, while Eskel smiled at her brightly and got a sly wink. She drank the rest of her beer in one go and stretched her neck to look around the taproom. After she found the innkeeper and waved him over, she said, "This will probably take a while. I recommend that we get something to eat and more of this before then." She shook the beer jug and gained excited looks.

**~**

"It must have been sometime between 890 and 895. I don't remember exactly, but I was about twenty years old." Valka plucked a piece of meat from her hare's haunch and put it in her mouth.

"My previous experience on the path was limited to a few isolated Drowner and a rather disastrous mission to smoke out an alleged Nekkerburrow." When she put another bite in her mouth, Geralt took the opportunity "Disastrous in what way?"  
"Well," she said, chewing and waving her hare's haunch, "the rabbits were not pleased at all with my actions."

Eskel puffed into his jug while he choked on his beer. Smiling, she waited until the man stopped coughing. "Well, inexperienced as I was, I wandered around in the woods of Rivia, looking for work. The result was that at some point during the night, looking for a comfortable place to sleep, I heard a rather suspicious scream at some distance.  
Although my instinct told me quite clearly to turn around and run in the opposite direction, of course I didn't listen and went straight forward instead". She stopped to clear her throat and take a sip.

"I came to a small clearing. The moon was full, but covered with clouds. Even for Witcher eyes the view wasn't very good. So, I drew my sword, took a sip of Cat and just in the blink of an eye I wished to be miles away.  
In the middle of the clearing, a Vampire was crouching.  
He made no effort to hide what kind of creature he was and the fact that he drank the blood of a wildly convulsing woman, surrounded by several other tattered bodies was enough to make me completely convinced of his nature, despite my lack of experience.

Valka raised her hand in a calming gesture when she saw the shocked faces of Geralt, Dandelion and Zoltan. "Don't worry, I'm not talking about Regis." She pushed her plate a little away and supported herself with her arms on the table. "Of course, when I realized the situation, I felt a tremendous panic rising in me. Somehow, I managed to stay calm and tried to get away as quietly as possible.  
For a short moment I actually had the feeling to be successful. I was already hoping that I made it, when suddenly the Vampire dropped the now dead woman, turned around as fast as lightning and looked directly at me. At that moment I was absolutely sure that this would be my end." She took a dramatic pause.

"And then something happened that I never expected then, nor did I understand. Today I know well enough what caused it," she said cryptically and noticeably swung her beer jug. "The Vampire took a step towards me and somehow... stumbled. First, he fell to his knees and after a short moment he collapsed completely on the floor. I don't know what got into me at that time, because instead of turning tail, I went over the body parts and rammed my sword into his back before he could get up again. He just winced for a second. So I pulled it out again, and then I struck two blows to his head."

"Sounds like you were damn lucky," Zoltan said.  
"Yes, one might suppose," Valka replied. "But when I looked up from the body, I was horrified to discover that there were several other Vampires around the clearing, also in very distinct shapes.  
Panic would no longer be the appropriate expression for the sensation I had. I was stunned. Completely frozen, I stood amidst the scattered body parts of the Vampire and those of his countless victims from that night. I wasn't able to move.  
In retrospect, I questioned myself a few times whether they had somehow hypnotized me or whether I had actually just frozen in fear. I couldn't exclude either of them."

"How the hell did you get out of that shit alive?" Dandelion asked this time.  
"One of the Vampires with remarkable blond hair, suddenly reached behind himself and dragged a large wooden chest with extraordinary metal fittings out of the bushes and threw it at my feet, as if it was light as air. Then he pointed to it with his claws and ordered me to open the chest and put the sliced Vampire inside."

An astonished whisper went through the group.

"Since my mind was not quite ready for any autonomous decisions, I simply did as the Vampire told me. I opened the chest, which was completely covered with a strange metal inside, picked up the head of the Vampire and put it inside. Well, then I was faced a problem. The chest was big, but not big enough to store the body in one piece. I looked up and stared at the blond Vampire in panic.  
He, in turn, pointed only to my sword. I hesitated because I wasn't quite sure if I understood him correctly. But he pointed to my sword once more and told me clearly that I should use it.

I was so frightened that I was about to faint, but I did as I was told and chopped one arm off the body. When I picked it up and put it into the chest, I noticed that except for the blond Vampire the whole bunch had disappeared. I chopped off the next arm and when I stowed it, the Vampire was no longer standing at the edge of the clearing, but directly in front of me. He had changed his appearance and now he looked more like an elf. Despite his abnormal strength, he seemed almost ridiculously fragile to me.

When the first leg found its way into the chest, I even managed to summon up the courage to ask a question. I wanted to know why he forced me to do this.  
I didn't really expect an answer, so I was quite surprised when I was told that the unhappy Vampire in front of my feet had become quite annoying to the others with his binges. They had decided to teach him a lesson.  
His explanation even went so far that he told me that higher Vampires never fought each other and therefore he would be very happy about my help".  
Valka grimaced. "I can assure you that the pleasure was not mutual.

When he finally told me that the metal in the chest came from their homeland and had the ability to dim the Vampires ability to regenerate, I was convinced that the moment I put the last piece of the body into the chest, would be my last.  
He must have guessed what I was thinking. Perhaps he could even read my mind. Anyway, he immediately assured me that he would let me go.  
But I can't tell I was convinced. However, as I had no alternative, because escape or fight wasn't an option. Therefore, I cut off the second leg as well.

The situation was bizarre and irrational. The elfish vampire sat down on a small rock and crossed his legs. Then he chatted with me, smiling, while I hacked one of his kind to pieces and stored the parts in a damned piece of furniture."

Valka took a deep sip of her drink before she continued. "When I finally picked up the torso and packed it with the remaining body parts, the blond Vampire stood up again and stroked his fingers almost tenderly over the lid of the chest. He explained that the Vampire would be trapped inside now, for two hundred to three hundred years and would have time to reflect on his previous behaviour in darkness and loneliness until he would finally return to his people, completely regenerated. He closed the lid of the chest with a bang as soon as he had finished his last sentence and I closed my eyes for my part.  
In spite of his assurance I expected my immediate end. Even today I can still feel the cold, slender fingers that stroked my face while I waited."

Valka shuddered and signalled the innkeeper that they were ready for another round. "I don't know how long I stood there with my eyes closed and trembling with fear, but when I finally opened my eyes, the blond Vampire and the chest had disappeared. Just me and a bunch of human fragments on a clearing. I took my sword and ran as fast as I could.  
I'd like to say that was the end of it, but the truth is, that even months later, I kept looking over my shoulder every few minutes, expecting five long, razor-sharp claws to slit me open."

**~**

The silence that spread around the table was only interrupted again when a young lad shyly approached and replaced the empty jugs in front of them with full ones.

"The reason that brings me here is in the end the same reason that led me to Regis back then," Valka took the word again. "This unpleasant experience made me study Vampires. More intense than any other species of monster we know. I have even specialized in the hunting of lower Vampires and I am considered the leading expert on all Vampire species. That's why I went to the school of wolves and also to all other schools and passed on my knowledge to young Witchers.  
Basically it is a bit sad when you consider that my key competence is to have survived on several occasions".  
Sighing, Valka brought her jug to her lips, but before she drank, she continued. "I received a message from a befriended Witcher about two weeks ago. He told me about rumours of a Vampire problem here in Velen. He must have thought I wouldn't be able to resist. He was right, obviously."

Geralt thought about Valka's story and was a bit ashamed that he couldn't remember it, although he was indeed sure that he had heard it before.  
However, to his chagrin, Regis' part still remained hidden. He had actually hoped to get the information he wanted, without having to ask for it. Because, in this case, he could have convinced himself that he showed a fundamental respect for his friend's valued privacy.

When he lifted his gaze from the tabletop, he noticed that Valka was watching him with a slight smile on her lips. He got the unpleasant feeling that she knew exactly what was on his mind. As if she wanted to confirm his fears, she took the word again at that moment. "Well then, there's the story about Regis... .« She took a spoon and contemplatively played with it.

The small sprouting flames of conversation at the table instantly went out and the attention of each individual rested on the female Witcher again.  
She put the spoon aside again as suddenly as she had taken it and put a hand to her chin instead. "I must admit that I don't like to talk about this very much. But I do understand your interest." Once more she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling while she sorted her mind, lost in thoughts.

♦

**Spring 954 - Brugge, Dillingen**

Valka suppressed a yawn and tried to concentrate on the hectic and chronologically completely jumbled reports of the beadle.

She arrived in Dillingen only a few hours ago and hadn't had a chance to take a break yet. She had already been stopped at the village limits and led to the scattered man with the sparse hair.  
Her plans to shake the dust of the street out of her clothes as soon as possible and to be able to eat something, soon disappeared into void.

In the few hours since her arrival she had already received a detailed description of the village structure, the inhabitants and the victims - the reason for her presence. In addition, she visited the scene of the last attack, which had happened only the night before.

Everything that was reported to her so far, only confirmed her suspicion that it was a single lower Vampire, who regularly went hunting for prey both, here in Dillingen and in the neighbouring villages. Apart from one tiny, little detail, all this information was already contained in the call, which has been appearing several times on every notice-board in all major cities for several weeks now.

She suppressed another yawn and raised a hand to interrupt the old beadle, which had meanwhile started to repeat himself. "My dear beadle, I believe I know enough."  
A half astonished, half pleased expression spread across the man's face. "So, you can help us then, Witcher?" Valka nodded and put a finger on her chin. "I am quite confident. ...We are definitely dealing with a Vampire. The bite marks are large and unclean, as if it had been bitten or chewed on several times. Something lower Vampires usually do. I suspect we're dealing with a Bruxa or an Alp."  
"And why one of those?" the man asked.  
She smiled crooked. "In the blacksmith's house, all the glass was broken, even the small windowpane in the door. The shards lay outside, so the pane had not been broken in order to get into the house.  
Both Bruxae and Alps used shrill cries to put their prey out of action. Shrill enough to break glass."  
She uttered a small laugh. "The alternative would be that our Vampire doesn't like glass and smashed it on purpose. There is no evidence of a fight."

The Beadle uncertainly smiled, what clearly showed Valka that the man couldn't follow her train of thoughts. She smiled again and then hopped off the table where she had been sitting. "If the Vampire sticks to his previous actions, there will be one or two more victims before he moves on to another village. I need shelter and a meal now. Then I'll continue my search for it, hopefully to prevent further bloodshed."

The Beadle nodded quickly. "My wife has prepared a room in our house for you. You are welcome to be our guest. Meals will be served at the tavern. You don't have to pay, it is part of your reward."  
Valka raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was exceptionally generous, apparently these people were really desperate for her help.

She took her swords leaning against the wall and hung them over her shoulder, trying not to get her long hair tangled up in them. "I also need my horse to be provided. Is there a stable I can use?" The Beadle nodded again and then waved his hand. "Follow me, I will lead you there."

They left the house onto the village square together and immediately found themselves in a commotion of wildly gesticulating men and crying women, gathered around something out of Valka's sight. The Beadle frowned in confusion and rushed past her, right into the centre of the tumult.

Valka still couldn't figure out what was causing the problem and wondered if she should follow the man. Maybe there had been another attack. Just as she took the first step, the crowd suddenly split up and formed a small alley.  
Now she was able to see a little boy lying on the ground, lifelessly. His clothes and hair were dripping wet, his lips blue. A woman, probably his mother, bent over him crying loudly. _Poor little boy_ , Valka thought. _He must have fallen into the river_.

A moment later she noticed the reason why the crowd was separating. From the street, a young man in noticeable black clothes approached quickly. His noble cut face, with a bowed nose, showed a worried expression. As he approached his eyes were focused solely on the boy.

Valka watched the people with wonder as they gave him a little more space. He knelt down on the dusty ground, right in front of the drowned child. Without regard for his unusually expensive clothes and what the dirty streets left on them.  
Since the man was kneeling with his back to her, she was unable to see what he was doing. Whenever he turned his head to the side to press his ear against the boy's chest, she was able to see the grim expression on his face.  
Whatever he did to the boy showed its result a few moments later.  
With eyes wide open, the child started heavily to cough and spitted water.

The crowd huddled and rumbling started spreading around, so that Valka's view was blocked again. She nodded her head approvingly anyway.  
As pale as the boy already was, she wouldn't have thought it’s possible to rescue him.

The beadle stepped out of the crowd towards Valka and indicated her to follow him. "Thank to Melitele, the boy lives. After all the unfortunate deaths, it would be terrible if we now had another victim to mourn about," said the man with relief.  
She nodded thoughtfully. "Who was the man?", she asked afterwards. A broad grin appeared on the beadle's face. "That's young Mr. Godefroy. He came some time ago to this area. In company of some friends, a rather snobbish bunch, I must say. They do occasionally visit our village. But unlike his companions, he's a real blessing, because he's a doctor. A properly studied one and he doesn't consider himself too good to help us common folk as well. What fortune he decided to visit our village today."  
Again she nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, ... fortune."

**~**

Valka accommodated her horse in the stable and supplied it with a lot of oat and some nice carrots. Afterwards, she made her way back to the house of the beadle. Because he turned around as soon as they reached the stable.

With amusement, she discovered on her way, that the young man was still standing on the marketplace, apparently unintentionally. He was surrounded by a crowd of women who thanked him again and again and asked him repeatedly to stay for dinner.  
Valka smiled while she watched the man politely trying again and again to say goodbye and leave, but was tenaciously stopped.

She reached the house, but before she entered, she turned around once more and took a last look at the heroic and admired saviour.  
Something about him seemed very strange to her, but she couldn't narrow it down.

She watched his pleasant features, the dark straight hair that disappeared into his collar and his upright, slender figure. Even the exhausted trait of his eyes did not escape her notice, for it did not quite match his otherwise accurate appearance. He was quite handsome, she thought.

Valka was already about to turn away when she suddenly realized what was bothering her.  
The beadle mentioned that the man should be a studied doctor, but according to her estimation this man might be in his mid-twenties at best. Far too young for a medical student to be recognized as a practicing doctor.

Sceptically, she examined him again, but could not find any other abnormalities. She shrugged and suspected that he might not have finished his studies completely or that he was so privileged that his family could afford to let him study at a very young age. Then a frightening detail unexpectedly caught her eye.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to suppress the emerging panic. When she opened them again, she checked anew, but to her chagrin, she had to realize that she had not been mistaken. The man, unlike the people around him, cast no shadow.

Silently cursing, Valka retreated around the corner of the house and leaned against the wall, while she thought.  
She was sure that her conclusions about the attacks were correct and that she was dealing with a Bruxa. But now she was standing here and had to deal with a higher Vampire, she was certain of that.

She cursed again. If she had expected that this could have happened, she wouldn't have been willing to accept this mission under any circumstances. Frustrated, she put a hand on her chin and thought about her situation.  
It's quite possible that this Vampire had nothing to do with the attacks and really just happened to be here by chance. It is also possible that the murderer is part of his entourage, even if it would be unlikely that he would help the humans if he would leave them to be eaten by his lower relatives at the same time.  
A third possibility was, that he was here to stop the killing. After all, her experience had taught her that higher Vampires did not like it when too much attention was paid. Brooding, she leaned around the corner and took another look at the Vampire who had finally managed to free himself from the women and walked backwards to the street, friendly waving.

Valka sighed loudly and stepped forward again. Her speculations did not get her any further. In the end she would not be able to avoid lying in wait tonight.  
If she was lucky, she would come across a Bruxa and hopefully finish her off quickly. If she was less lucky, she would run into a higher Vampire and she only could hope that she could leave Dillingen behind fast enough before he would notice her.

**~**

Silently, Valka checked her Moon Dust bombs and the Vampire Oil film on her silver blade once again. Then, as before, she lapsed back into motionlessness and waited tense between some large stacks of logs for any clue to follow.

The night was clear and illuminated by the full moon. The wind was favourable and carried her telltale smell out into the fields and not into the village. Moreover, the stables were not far from her and the pungent smell of ammonia provided additional camouflage. It was already after midnight, but the only movements she could detect were the branches of the trees bending in the wind and the occasional scurry of a nocturnal animal.

The previous murders had not necessarily happened in successive nights. So she expected that she would wait in vain that night, but this did not ease her tension.  
Valka shifted her weight from her left leg, which got pins and needles, to her right leg, when a noise made her flinch. A front door opened and a woman with a small candle in her hand stepped out into the darkness. Valka relaxed again as she watched from her hiding place how the woman, whom she recognized as the supposed mother of the happy boy of this morning, quickly scurried across the square. Probably on her way to the lavatory.

But when suddenly a black shadow behind the woman came off a wall, the Witcher immediately tensed up again. Quickly she choked down a _Black Blood_ which she had prepared, grabbed her sword tighter and silently started to pursue.

She kept the distance as large as possible, so she would not be discovered by the Vampire, but was careful not to lose sight of him.  
While the woman disappeared into the small wooden house, Valka took the opportunity to slowly sneak up on the lurking Vampire. When she was finally close enough to see what she was up against, her stomach clenched into a ball.  
The figure had revealed his vampiric nature, but there was still no doubt that he was the young man who had saved the child. So much for her theory!

Unhappily, Valka bit her lip. A fight was no option, but she couldn't reconcile it with her moral to let the unhappy woman run right into the claws of this monster.

When the door of the lavatory opened again, she knew that she had to decide quickly. Valka gritted her teeth and got ready to pounce on the Vampire when, to her surprise, he simply retreated into the shadow and let the woman pass unharmed.  
Stunned, she stared into the corner where the Vampire had disappeared.

Only the sound of a slamming door tore her from her amazement. It told her that the woman had arrived safely back at her home.

She was deeply irritated when she returned to her hiding place and thought about what to do next.  
She couldn't make any sense of the Vampire's behaviour. Secretly, she hoped that her foolhardy assumption that he too was just lying in wait for the real murderer was true. But since she had lost sight of him and couldn't follow any other trail, she had no choice but to stay on her guard and stare patiently into the night.

**~**

Another uneventful hour passed, during that period Valka was forced to change her hiding place once, because the wind had changed. The full moon gradually disappeared and gave way to the approaching morning.  
She was no longer expecting an attack when suddenly, at some distance, the shrill cries of a person in mortal fear sounded. Valka was immediately on her feet and ran towards them.

After a few moments, she came to a house with a stained facade that stood a bit off to the side. The wide open door allowed her to look inside, where she immediately noticed a lifeless body covered in blood. From inside, damped cries were still coming out and she had to hurry to save the poor soul.  
Quickly she took another potion to restore the decaying effect and cursed softly when she noticed that the screams had woken the other villagers and lured them in front of their homes.

Quickly she jumped over the corpse into the house and started to search for the monster. A soft whimper led her on and shortly afterwards, she stood at the entrance to the living room, from where she got a good view of something that made her stomach tighten uncomfortably.  
Directly in front of her stood the now familiar Vampire, swaying and noisily drinking the blood of a crying man.

The unfortunate victim writhed in the clutches and although Valka could see that he was barely alive, his faint efforts were enough to slip out of the hands of his tormentor and hit the ground dull.  
Unfortunately, this did not save him. The Vampire leaned forward unsteadily, pulled him snarling back into his arms and bit again.

Valka watched the horrible scene in shock. Her hope for a decent attitude of the Vampire was gone and she couldn't prevent a quiet disappointed sob from escaping. Alarmed, the alleged doctor turned around and hissed angrily at the Witcher.  
He dropped his victim again, this time on purpose and jumped at her. But instead of attacking her, he just pushed her in front of her chest with a clawed hand and tore her brutally from her feet. Immediately afterwards he ran past her and out of the house, unsteadily stroking the walls all the time.

Angry about her own hesitation, Valka swung herself back on her feet and followed him.  
The Vampire had obviously drunk a lot and his unsteady movements gave her hope that she could still catch him.  
Once outside, she could barely see how he used the last minutes of the full moon to transform into a giant bat.

Valka's heart raced as she watched his slender body distort and manifest itself again in the form of this monstrous creature.  
Under other circumstances, she would have been fascinated by the sight, but knowing that she would have to fight this monster, she felt terribly scared.

With his strong legs the Vampire pushed himself off the ground and violently flapped his powerful wings.  
It was both impressive and disturbing.

To Valkas astonishment he did not get very far.  
After only a few meters the gigantic bat began to spin and immediately crashed into the wooden structure of the well, where it lay motionless between the burst bars.

Valka swallowed her surprise and ran to the remains of the well with wide steps. She pushed aside one of the panels that had served as a roofing. Underneath it, the Vampire appeared, now in full human form, straightening up and leaning on his forearms. While he looked at her with strangely sad black eyes, Valka could not prevent a wave of compassion from rolling over her.

She tried to suppress the tears that inexplicably rose to her eyes when she raised her sword and dropped it with a violent blow on the neck of the humiliated Vampire.

♦

Geralt hissed his breath out. He hadn't noticed that he stopped it yet. A glance into the group revealed concerned faces that were still busy dealing with the story, just like himself.

He had been aware that Regis' frivolous narrative about his past beheading couldn't come close to the actual events, but hearing the story so entirely affected him deeply. He was sure that he certainly didn't appreciate his friend any less, but he would look at him with slightly different eyes from now on.

Silently he watched Valka get up to have her jug filled again. When she returned shortly afterwards and sat down in her place, Eskel began to drum with his fingers on the tabletop, nervously.  
He seemed hesitant for a moment, but then he asked his question. "What happened next? I mean, we know that higher Vampires can only be killed by their own kind. And we also know that Regis is not dead."

Valka ran one hand through her short hair "Right after I... you know, some of the men from the village came running. They were understandably horrified to discover that the young man they were counting on so dearly was really the source of their evil.  
Despite my objections, they insisted on piercing his heart with a wooden stake and sprinkling him with holy water.  
But when they came up with the idea of burning his body, I yielded to my gut feeling and intervened. I told them some nonsense about Witcher rituals to exorcise evil."

Valka rolled her eyes. "At first, they were a bit affected, but fortunately I was able to convince them.  
There was a shrine nearby and I sent all villagers to pray there. Then I got my horse and tied Regis' body to the saddle.  
On my way to Dillingen I passed an Elf cemetery, which had recently been abandoned.  
I rode back there, picked out one of the large stone sarcophagi that was still undamaged, removed the remains of the original owner and put Regis inside instead.

Valka swallowed dry and stared into her beer jug for a moment. "I don't know for sure what made me do it, but before I closed the lid of the coffin, I put a strip of parchment and a single match in his hand."  
Geralt looked up from his beer in wonder. "What was written on the parchment?" Valka drew her face to a short smile.  
"Take it as an opportunity", she said, stroking her mouth.

"However, I had no way to prevent his regeneration. This strange metal that would have been necessary to do so is jealously guarded by all Vampires. And the truth is, I didn't want to prevent it at all.  
At that time there was something about him that made me deeply convinced that he was miserable with his own behaviour. And there was the matter with the boy, of course. If people were nothing more than delicacies for him, why should he have saved the boy and above all, spare his mother? No, I was quite sure back then that I was doing the right thing and time would prove it. Well, and as we all know, time has proven it."

Geralt shook his head in confusion. The whole story was far more than he could handle at once.  
He deeply wished that Regis would come through the door and talk to him about it. He had hardly ever relied so much on his wise mind and his structured analysis as he did at this moment.

A soft throb made the Witcher jump up and turn his attention to Dandelion. The bard sat on his chair with his face pinched and his arms crossed. Tapping his foot on the floor and his fingers on his arms in the same rhythm. It was quite obvious that something was gnawing on him.  
"Well, the story was beautiful and, uh... horrible, but let's face it. It doesn't explain much and this couldn't possibly have been the end of it," he said sceptically.  
Valka smiled mysteriously at him. "You are right, Dandelion. That wasn't the end, it was just the beginning."

Geralt tilted his head and asked: "Will you tell us what happened next?" The Witcher turned her gaze back to Geralt and her face became serious.  
"No."

"What? Why not?" protested the bard.  
"Because I don't want to tell this story," she replied sternly. "If you want to hear it at all, ask someone who can tell it just as well. Sooner or later, Regis will turn up again."  
She stood up and stretched her back. "It's late and I'm going to sleep now. I suggest you do the same. After all, we're not here to share stories. People are dying out there and we should hurry up and do something about it."  
With these words, she mercilessly turned around and left the others in the taproom.

Eskel took his jug shortly after the Witcher left the room and emptied it. Then he got up too. "See you tomorrow."  
And so the spell was broken. Chairs scraped across the floor and little by little the companions went to bed until only Geralt sat at the table and stared at the ceiling.  
He had a lot to think about.

♦

Without prior knocking, the door opened and someone pushed his way through the narrow gap before it fell back into the lock.  
Valka noticed, but did not look up and patiently continued to sort her potions. "So, you really found him," she said without turning around.  
"Yes, in the end. But in the meantime, I had to fear to be on the wrong track," was replied.  
"You should be careful. Regis isn't an idiot. He won't be fooled as easily as the others."  
"I know," the answer came again.  
Valka now sat up with a sigh and turned to her visitor.  
She raised one hand and stroked a loose strand of his dark brown hair behind Veit's ear.  
"And think carefully what you are doing with the White Wolf. It hasn't escaped my attention that you have a thing for him."  
Veit took the Witcher's hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't worry about that. This is far too important to let my emotions distract me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> Valka swallowed dry and stared into her beer jug for a moment. "I don't know for sure what made me do it, but before I closed the lid of the coffin, I put a strip of parchment and a single match in his hand."  
>  Geralt looked up from his beer in wonder. "What was written on the parchment?" Valka drew her face to a short smile.  
>  "Rest in pieces", she said.  
>  **_*Badummtssss*_**
> 
> ** Next time: **
> 
> The Vampire attacks are bringing up questions.  
>  Geralt starts to question his feelings and Regis reveals the first part of his story.


	6. Stale bread and what to make of it

The tavern came to life shortly after sunrise, while Geralt stood at a window. He sighed slightly and peered through the open shop into the cloudy, grey sky. He had almost forgotten that Velen days were usually darker than Toussaint's idyllic nights.

Despite the disturbing story, which shed some light on the mysterious past of his closest friend, the Witcher had fallen asleep with surprising ease. However, he couldn't find any real rest, as his night's slumber was disturbed by confused and oppressive dreams. His mind was haunted by severed heads, amiable black eyes and consuming fire, which greedily spread over a writhing body under agonizing and bloodcurdling cries.

Geralt sighed and wished again that Regis would return soon, so that he would know him safe. Of course, he knew that the Vampire was easily able to take care of himself and that the few things that could actually become dangerous to him were hardly for a Witcher to deal with.  
But this knowledge did little to reassure him. Because for a practically immortal being, his friend was terrifyingly often close to death.

When Geralt finally closed the window shutter and turned around, his eyes fell on Veit, who sat on a bed and tried to braid his hair anew.  
Smiling, he watched the man for a while as he split off single strands again and again and put them on top of each other a few times until they slipped out of his fingers again or got tangled up in his armour.  
When he threw his half braided hair over his shoulder after the fourth attempt, Geralt couldn't help but laugh a little. Veit looked up to him and pushed his lower lip forward, which only amused Geralt more.  
"I have no idea what's so funny, white - stumpy braided - wolf", he remarked sulking.  
"Is it possible that you really have never braided your own hair before?", Geralt asked amusedly. "Maybe," Veit replied grumbling, but then his face suddenly brightened. "Will you help me?"  
Geralt snorted. "What makes you think I could do that at all?"  
Veit smiled mischievously now. "You're not going to tell me that you never braided your Ciri's hair."  
Geralt pulled a wry face. "I knew it was a mistake to tell you about her." He went to the Witcher and sat diagonally behind him on the bed.

As he reached for his hair to loosen the strands he added: "And just for your information, I only braided her hair once and right after that a Sorceress put her into a dress. For Triss felt that a ladylike hairstyle required a ladylike robe."  
Veit gurgled amused and turned his head a little to give Geralt a wink. "If it makes you happy, then I'll put on a dress for you, too. I have nice legs, so it can be short. But in view of our plans, I insist on an ensemble of metal-plated leather and chain links."

Geralt snorted again and shook his head to drive the images out of his head. As he happened to look at Eskel, who was sitting a few steps away and sharpened his swords with a whetstone, he noticed that he had frozen in mid-movement and stared at the two of them. When their eyes met and Eskel promptly turned red, Geralt suddenly remembered a rather boozy and cheerful night with him, Lambert and Yennefer's wardrobe chest.  
He cleared his throat in embarrassment and tried to concentrate on Veit's hair a little more.

He stroked with his fingers through the entire silky length, looking for knots he had to untie. A particularly stubborn one was found in Veit's neck, where a strand of hair had got caught on a rivet in his armour. With pointed fingers he gently plucked at the hairs, trying to loosen them without tearing them off.  
He only noticed that he had leaned closer and closer to the man when the stimulating smell of pine, cinnamon and musk, which always surrounded Veit, rose more intensely than usual into his nose and suddenly a swarm of butterflies began to make trouble in his stomach.  
Immediately afterwards he also noticed that his knee, which was comfortably bent, clung directly to the dark-haired Witcher's leg without him being aware of it. Startled, he leaned back so quickly that he accidentally pulled out a few individual hairs.

The Witcher flinched and Geralt made a grimace. "Excuse me."  
But Veit didn't react and just kept sitting quietly. Geralt swallowed dry and hurried to split the long hair into single segments with trembling hands.

It worried him a little that he didn't find the physical closeness of the other man obtrusive. He even had to admit that he found the closeness quite pleasant. For some reason it was a little easier for him to relax when Veit was in his immediate vicinity.  
Of course it was conceivable that he simply felt relieved because the presence of another Witcher instinctively gave him a feeling of safety. Witchers also appreciated the strength of a group.  
But why did only Veit trigger this feeling and not Eskel or Lambert?

With clenched teeth Ciri came to his mind. He didn't want his thoughts to go in that direction, but as soon as the thought had crossed his mind, it stubbornly kept his focus.  
Her preferences had never bothered him, but if he was honest, he hardly gave it a thought. One would have to be quite an idiot to be bothered by the fact that two people who were attracted to each other lived it out. At least as long as both persons really felt the same. But does that also mean that just because he doesn't give a shit when others... . Could he possibly...?

Surprised and also relieved Geralt realized that he had finished braiding the hair. He took a critical look at it and decided that the result was quite successful. "Do you have a ribbon?", he asked. When Veit handed him a black silk ribbon over his shoulder, he suddenly thought of something. "Tell me, who actually helped you in Corvo Bianco? Marlene?", he asked with a smile.  
Veit coughed embarrassed. "No, Marlene's fingers are already too stiff for that. B.B....", he didn't get any further, because Geralt broke out into loud laughter. "It's okay," he snorted. "I have the picture in my mind."

Veit gave him a wry look and then took his braid between his fingers to examine the result of Geralt's work. He even got up and went to the tiny, almost blind shaving mirror on the wall. He turned back and forth for a moment and finally nodded contentedly. He smiled radiantly as he turned to Geralt again. "Thank you very much."  
Geralt returned the smile tentatively and wrestled down the renewed unwanted butterfly invasion in his stomach.

While Veit went to his equipment, which was piled up in a small stack on the floor and began to put on the countless belts and bags and stored bombs and potions, Geralt's gaze continued to rest on him. He observed the precise and elegant movements, the play of the muscles under the skin of Veit's forearms and the flexible ease with which he could turn and bend his body in any direction. None of this was unusual for a Witcher with enough experience and at least halfway regular meals. No matter how hard he tried, Geralt couldn't find an obvious clue why he was so fascinated by this man.

When the last piece was safely tucked away in the Witcher's pockets, Geralt tore his gaze away from him with difficulty and for lack of a better motive, he looked at his own hands instead.  
His throat was suddenly unpleasantly dry. He just wasn't sure if he really liked Veit more than... usual or if he was even physically attracted to him.  
His thoughts wandered to the kiss, of which he wasn't so sure anymore if it really happened or if he just dreamed about it.  
In any case, Veit didn't show any hints the next morning and behaved as he did usually. Geralt, on the other hand, had no difficulties to recall the feeling of Veit's lips on his own and to revive the tingling sensation that flooded his whole body.  
He shook his head annoyed and brushed his hand over his mouth.

Geralt was sure that the man meant a lot to him, at all. In a very short time Veit had gone from a stranger to one of his best friends.  
He was even perfectly willing to admit that apart from Regis none of his other friends was as close to him as this Witcher. So there was no need for him to ask if he appreciated spending time with him. For he certainly did. In fact, he would have liked to have him nearby all the time.  
No, the real question was a completely different one.

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath and faced his demon.  
 _Do I want to grab Veit and rip his clothes off? Knock him onto a bed and we fuck until we fall asleep from exhaustion?_  
The ice-cold shivering that ran through him while he only expressed this thought in silence, revealed at least one thing to him. - He was terrified of the answer.

"Geralt?", Eskel ripped him so suddenly from his thoughts that he flinched in shock. "Is everything all right?"  
Panicked, Geralt realised that not only Eskel, but also Veit, Dandelion and Zoltan stared at him in amazement. He felt the blush of shame on his face.  
"Hungry", he replied dully.

♦

After the men had dressed and prepared their equipment, they entered the taproom together. It was still early and the fire on which the host woman cooked breakfast could not yet warm the room to a comfortable temperature. A quick glance through the taproom revealed that Valka still had to stay in her small private room, and apart from two old men with stringy grey hair and large gaps between their teeth, the room was empty.

Dandelion set off at once to make sure that they would not be threatened with grits or any other form of cereal porridge again that day and Zoltan sat down at a table with Veit and they unpacked the Gwent cards.  
Geralt decided to join Eskel, who laboriously unfolded a roughly drawn map of the area at a smaller table in a corner of the room.  
"Self-drawn?", he asked mockingly. "It's very pretty."  
"Very funny, Geralt," Eskel replied. "It's not meant to be pretty, but useful." Geralt smiled at him once more, but then bent over the map and looked at the countless contradictory markings on the map.

"I have to admit, it doesn't make sense to me," Geralt admitted without raising his head. Eskel made a face. "I feel the same way. And I'm not even talking about the map."  
Geralt looked up at him in surprise.  
"In the three days before you arrived here, Valka, Zoltan and I left every day. Each of us in a different direction. We were just looking for traces, not the pack itself.  
"And what did you find?"

Eskel stroked his dark hair and face, tired. "The tracks we found and the information we got from the refugees indicate that the attacks always take place in a circular area. In the course of two or three days, attacks take place in an area in several places one after the other. There is always an area in the centre, which is spared at first and then, when the next cyclical wave occurs, is the first to be hit. So the pack moves over in a spira ..."

Eskel interrupted when Dandelion pushed open the creaking door and stormed obviously pissed off into the room. "I can't believe it," he rantled loudly. "They're actually going to serve us grits here."  
Geralt rolled his eyes. "Dandelion we are in a farming village and not at the ducal table of Beauclair."  
The bard stiffened his shoulders gracefully. "And that is an excuse for these people not being able to do anything with grain but grind and cook it."  
"Yes", Geralt replied curtly. Then he sighed and continued to speak in a conciliatory manner: "We have to thoroughly investigate the area today. I'm sure one of us will stumble over a deer or a stag in the process. Would a portion of venison with the spices, which Marlene gave us, be able to soothe your spoiled palate again?"  
Dandelion thought about it for a moment. But before he could answer, a bright laugh distracted him.

Confused, the bard looked in the direction the sound came from and when he saw its origin, his mouth opened in surprise.  
Valka had entered the taproom and listened to their little dispute in amusement. But the reason for Dandelion's reaction was not the mere presence of the Witcher, but rather her appearance.  
Unlike the previous evening, she no longer wore the leather armour over her long lined coat. Instead, a tight-fitting riveted corsage could be seen between the fur trimming, which excellently accentuated her female curves. The shaggy grey-brown fur collar caressed her slender neck and distracted from the extremely short-shaved sides of her head.  
Her longer, dark blond main hair was shaped with a little pomade, so that the curly strands of hair playfully edged her face. Her eyes were accentuated with dark kohl and glowed mysteriously. In contrast to her former appearance, nobody could have any doubts that she was indeed a woman.

Also Geralt and Eskel nodded appreciatively to her, which she rewarded with a slight bow. But the short hair still looked strange to them, probably because they had seen Valka with long hair otherwise. But she was pretty without any doubt.  
Not a stunning beauty like Yennefer, at least in Geralt's thoughts, but definitely pretty.

Eskel's admiration went even further. Geralt saw that his friend was staring at the Witcher with downright fascination. But after a few seconds he noticed Geralt's smirking grin and made a grimace.  
He ignored his giggles and directed his gaze back to the woman. Shaking his head, he said softly, "It's strange, but she reminds me somehow of..."  
"Sunflowers," someone unexpectedly interrupted him.

Puzzled, the two Witchers turned around and were surprised to find that Regis was standing right behind them. "She reminds one of sunflowers," repeated the Vampire quietly. Eskel first looked at him confused for a moment, but then nodded. "Yes, exactly."  
Geralt stared at the two men in amazement at first, but when he turned back to the female Witcher, who was talking to Dandelion with a smile, he realized that the comparison wasn't so far-fetched for him either.

The dark blonde, wavy hair, the bright yellow cat's eyes and her skin, which seemed to radiate a warm glow, although she was just as pale as the other Witchers, all this triggered the association of warm late summer evenings and comfort. Even her clothes in the brown and green shades of the bear school only emphasized this feeling.  
Actually, a very nice comparison, but when he thought of the melancholic tone in which the Vampire had spoken, Geralt could hardly suppress an uneasy shiver.

Worried, Geralt turned back to his friend. "Are you okay?" Regis smiled with his mouth closed. "Don't worry about me, my friend. I just needed to recover from the sudden confrontation with my unflattering past."  
Geralt nodded compassionately and then confessed uncertainly: "Valka told us how... you met." Regis nodded and made a face. "I expected that." He thoughtfully put a hand to his chin. "How much... did she tell?", he asked then and to Geralt's astonishment sounded a little intimidated.

The Witcher puzzled and thought about how to answer the question. "Her story ended with the stone coffin." Regis nodded and seemed relieved. "I see." Geralt chewed on his cheek, brooding. He wasn't sure if he should ask the question that was on his mind, but it gnawed on him a lot. "She hinted that there was more to tell, is that right?"  
Again, Regis made a face and nodded.  
But before Geralt could go into it, the Vampire beat him to it. "But this is neither the time nor the place. I don't want to shade the honourable departure of our new Hansa with another unforgivable mistake of my inglorious youth," Regis tried to joke half-heartedly, but Geralt could clearly see the pain in his friend's eyes.  
He nodded slowly and looked at him with compassion. Whatever else had happened between Regis and the Witcher, it must have been of immense importance, he knew that much for sure.

Geralt started up from his thoughts when he noticed that Regis turned his gaze away from him and instead looked at Valka who had finished her conversation with Dandelion and was now approaching them.  
Worried, he saw that the Vampire took a small step backwards and he almost feared that Regis could flee again. But to his relief he just shifted his weight to the other leg and took a position that Geralt could only describe as proud and sad.  
Arriving in front of them, Valka stopped and for a short moment silently she gave the Vampire a very similar expression.

 _Strange_ , Geralt thought. _Whatever happened, it deeply shook them both_. He wanted to withdraw to give them some privacy, but before he could do so, Regis spoke without being disturbed by his or Eskel's presence.

"I'm relieved to know you're alive." He faltered, cleared his throat and then continued speaking in a softer voice. "For the last two hundred and seventy years I have been asking for you again and again, but with little success. I had assumed that you..."  
"That I met my end in some monster's nest", she interrupted him now with a weak smile. "Don't worry, I'm not that easily killed. I spent most of my time in Zerrikania or the Skellige Islands and hardly ever got to Temeria or Cintra." Regis nodded anxiously.  
"But once my way brought me back to Dillingen", Valka explained hesitantly. "That was about 1011. But you..."  
Now it was up to Regis to interrupt the Witcher. "I was in Toussaint at this time. If I had stayed too long in Dillingen, people there would have become suspicious."  
"Yes, of course." Valka shamefully stroked a strand from her face, then suddenly reached out her hand as if to touch Regis' face. But just before she reached him, she stopped her movement, lowered her arm again and bit her lip embarrassingly. "You look... older."  
Regis sighed depressedly. "You seem to have heard about my collision with Vilgefortz. "He may not have been able to kill me, but regeneration has taken a lot from me. It will still be a long time before I recover completely. ...Provided I make a complete recovery."  
Valka gave him a sad, sympathetic smile.

But before they could continue their conversation, Dandelion stepped into the round and pushed himself to the fore. Immediately, Valkas bright laughter flooded the room again. "Don't worry, Dandelion, I haven't forgotten you."

The Witchers reacted a little more impatient and gave the bard scowling glances. They felt like intruders in the privacy of the two, but at least they showed the decency not to interrupt them. Valka must have guessed their thoughts, for she winked at them amusedly and declared with a broad smile: "I have promised Dandelion to save him from the hell of groats.  
The bard nodded urgently and bowed slightly towards the Witcher. "Though I don't know yet how you will accomplish this feat. This hag of a hostess has nothing but shredded grain and stale bread in her pantry."  
Valka's smile turned into a big grin before she replied: "Let yourself be surprised. It will always be better than grits. But first I need one more special ingredient and I'm pretty sure Regis can help us with that."

She turned back to the Vampire and pleadingly looked at him. Regis seemed to know what she meant, because now he smiled mischievously, grabbed his shoulder bag and rummaged around in it. "But of course, ... Allium sativum."  
Confused, Dandelion raised his eyebrows. Regis grinned a little wider and his teeth came out for a moment. "An amaryllis plant with a pseudo-symmetrical inflorescence, very popular for many medicinal and culinary uses. Also known as garlic."

Dandelion snorted a little contemptuously. "And I thought I was the bard." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And for what reason does a Vampire carry garlic around?" Regis and Valka smiled amused while he handed her a bulb and several sprigs of rosemary, then said: "That, my dear Dandelion, is the punch line."

**~**

After Valka and her ingredients had disappeared in search of the cook, Eskel took up the thread again to explain their situation. Regis joined them and bent over the map next to Geralt.  
"As I said before, the attacks are cyclical. Always two or three before they change area." Eskel put one finger on the map, thus circumventing a larger area. "For several weeks the movements seemed completely random, you never knew where they were going to strike next. One could only be certain that they wouldn't attack the same place twice."  
"But?", Geralt asked. "Well, for about two weeks the pack has been moving unerringly towards Lindenvale. The attacks are still spiralling, but the direction is clear."  
Thoughtfully, Geralt scratched a short-shaven side of his head. "Strange... When should we expect the attacks?" Eskel took his finger off the map and folded his arms. "That's the point. They should have attacked Lindenvale four days ago."

Stunned, Geralt raised his head. "Does that mean the attacks have stopped?" Eskel shook his head with a serious face. "No, they're just leaving Lindenvale out. And instead of the usual three attacks, this time four have happened. The last one hitting the site of the first attack around Lindenvale again." He tapped the map again and pointed to a small town further east. "A tiny settlement. Too small even to be called a village. If the Vampires come through there again, there won't be anything left at all."

Regis put one hand on his chin and turned ponderously towards the window. "This all sounds very, very unusual. Both, the movement pattern and the composition of the pack." He turned abruptly to Eskel. "Dandelion said that you saw the pack. Are they really different lower Vampires?" Eskel made a face and nodded. "I was a bit rushed to get my ass out of there in one piece, but we're talking about thirty or forty Vampires at least. Including Fleders, Katakans, Alps and Garkains. And those were just the ones I noticed."  
Regis shook his head in surprise. "Very unusual indeed."

Geralt leaned against the table and thought about Eskel's words. "It's been a while since I was here last time. But as far as I can tell, the village has hardly changed at all, stained facades, leaking thatched roofs and penniless people. Do you know if any new interesting people have come to Lindenvale recently?" Eskel tilted his head. "You mean interesting for the Vampires?" Geralt nodded. "The thought has reached us too," Eskel said, pointing in Zoltan's direction. "We have spoken to almost every inhabitant. They all swear that except for the refugees and the traders, who all move on after a few days, we are the only strangers here. The others were either born here or have lived here for several years.  
In addition, there are no caves or buildings in the immediate surroundings that aren't at least as poor as the houses here in the village. No old elven temples, places of worship or something alike. The large manor in the area is also abandoned by now. The old woman who lived there died a few months ago and the mob looted everything that wasn't nailed down beforehand."  
Eskel sighed and shrugged in annoyance. "You see, there's just nothing here, worth a second look, or even a Vampire invasion."

Geralt clenched a fist in frustration. "Damn, we need a clue. Some lead we can follow up on." He propped his hands on the tabletop and stared at the map again. "You say there are no caves or old buildings. Do you have any idea where the Vampires hide when they're not hunting?"  
Eskel shook his head a little indecisively. "Kind of. Valka has been tracking the Vampires several times for the past few days. They don't seem particularly demanding and are simply camped in the woods. However, they don't seem to have a preferred place to camp, but simply look for a place that is close to their next destination." Geralt shook his head in disbelief. "Were there any more sightings?"  
"At least not by anyone who could tell us about them."

"That's not quite right", Valka suddenly corrected. The men turned their heads towards the door. The Witcher stood there with a big bowl in her hand, an extremely delicious smell arose from it.  
Eskel noticed immediately. "New refugees?", he asked. Valka nodded and came closer. "Before sunrise, some frightened children stumbled into the village. The blacksmith's wife took care of them. They told her about big bat monsters, probably Ekimmaras, that had devoured their parents."

Zoltan, Dandelion and Veit came towards them, attracted by the smell of food. They must have followed the conversation at the table, because Veit asked: "Did the children also say where they came from?" Valka nodded and put the bowl on the table. Immediately the men reached out and put the crunchy pieces hungrily into their mouths.  
"Our destination is Toderas."  
Geralt choked on a crumb and coughed. "Toderas? When I was there a few years ago, it was a ghost town. First it was full of bandits and a short time later it was crawling with necrophages."  
Dandelion waved his hand in which he also held one of the pieces from the bowl. "As you said, that was a few years ago. In the meantime, quite a few people have settled there again," he explained and then stared sceptically at the crunchy chunk in his hand. He held it under Valka's nose. "What is that?", the bard asked. "Stale bread", the Witcher explained casually.

Eskel reached into the bowl one more time before he gave in. "Toderas is half a day away on horseback. So the children should have been on the road for days. There have been at least three or four more attacks much closer to Lindenvale since then."  
Dandelion ignored the objection and waved his breakfast again. "Stale bread?" Valka rolled her eyes but smiled as she put one hand on his shoulder. "Stale diced bread. Roasted in lard, with herbs, garlic and salt. As a Witcher, you take what you can get and make the best of it."  
To Eskel she said, "I think it's worth paying a visit, though. From what the children told me, there was no normal attack there. Unlike the other villages, there were probably not only a few victims, but Toderas has once again become a ghost town. The children survived only because they snuck out to play."

She smiled in amusement when she saw that Dandelion had put his piece of bread in his mouth and his face immediately brightened. He pushed his way past Veit to get closer to the bowl and greedily began to devour the crunchy chunks. The others hurried to secure their share of the meal and took their turn again as well.

**~**

Zoltan wiped his greasy fingers on his trousers and then scratched his beard. "Listen Geralt, not that I'm too fine to accompany you to Toderas but know that I don't particularly like corpse-eaters. When the place is full of corpses it'll be crawling with ghouls." Geralt nodded to his friend. "I've got another job for you anyway, if you're up for it."  
"Spit it out", the dwarf replied immediately.  
"There used to be a Pellar living near Blackbough. If he's still alive, he might be helpful to get to the bottom of this spook. He may look like an old fool, but there's something to his omens."

Valka raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Blackbough is over a day's journey away and we have no idea where the Vampires are now. If you send him off on his own, the outcome might be bad."  
Zoltan waved her off. "Don't you worry about that, lass. I can take care of myself." Valka put a finger to her lips. "I don't doubt you're able to, but with the number of potential foes, you won't stand a chance." She turned to Geralt. "I think the Pellar-idea is worth a try. Especially, if our only other lead is an attack, days in the past. But we should be careful. I suggest we split up."

Murmuring agreement spread throughout the group and Regis stepped forward. "I would like to visit Toderas. Maybe I can find something that will tell me more about the motives for this peculiar behaviour."  
Geralt nodded. "Ok, I'll go with you."  
"And me too," Veit interfered.  
"Then I would say that Zoltan, Dandelion, Valka and I will leave for Blackbough", Eskel added. To Geralt's surprise, the bard remained silent and did not protest about the division. Since nobody else objected either, the Witcher clapped his hands and said: "Then we'll meet back here afterwards. Since we will certainly be back before you, I give you three days. If you have not returned by then, we will come looking for you."  
Valka pushed her hip off the table where she was leaning and nodded. "Time to leave."

A small part of an artwork made by **Vince**.  
(Made especially for me.)  
A complete view is available in a later chapter

♦

Regis and the two Witchers followed the uneven road that meandered through the swamps and would take them to Toderas. They had left barely an hour after their meeting and were now making their way past the countless ponds and muddy meadows. The road was not wide enough to ride next to each other, so Regis, riding a lackadaisical cold-blooded horse, led the group and set the pace. Close behind him Veit followed on Lapis and Geralt formed the rearguard with Roach.

Their constellation made it difficult for them to pass the time with conversations and they spent most of the time lost in their thoughts. However, when they passed Lurtch in some distance shortly before noon, the road widened and Geralt pushed his heel into the horse’s side to reach a level with Veit.  
The dark-haired Witcher smiled and winked at him. Geralt smiled a little embarrassed in return. Then he remembered that he had a concern that was actually motivating him and which he had been thinking about for a while now. "Tell me, you and Valka... you know each other pretty well, I guess," he asked hesitantly. Veit laughed briefly. "One could say so." Then his cheerful expression disappeared, and uncertainty settled on his features, but before Geralt could ask, his smile appeared again and Veit started to talk.

"I've known her my whole life." He pointed to his bear medallion. "We belong to the same school and I've been taught by her." He paused briefly and seemed to think about his next sentence. "To tell you the truth, I think I learned probably most of what I know from her. Unlike the other Witchers, she didn't think she was just wasting time with me." He looked aside, but Geralt could see the sadness behind his smile. Then he remembered something Veit had told him in Corvo Bianco.  
"So this other Witcher you used to travel with all the time, is Valka?" Veit nodded affirmatively before he continued a bit livelier: "I really had to say I was quite surprised to meet her here. After I had decided to travel to Toussaint, we actually planned to meet again in the winter quarters. I mean, she was even planning to go to Ard Skellige." He pondered for a moment. "But I'm glad to have her here. Especially since it concerns Vampires."

Geralt took a side glance at Regis, who was still riding in front of them, but had turned his head and listened with interest. He wondered if now a good time was to ask about his story with Valka. He didn't really want to put his friend under pressure, but he was quite curious.  
Veit, who had followed his gaze, must have guessed his thoughts, but showed less restraint. "What about you, Regis?", he asked quite directly. "Will you tell us how your story with her continued?"

Immediately the Vampire turned his face forward again and stiffened his shoulders. Geralt was already expecting to be put off again when, to his surprise, Regis stopped his horse to let the two Witchers catch up. When the two of them had arrived next to him, he didn't start talking immediately, but stared silently at the shaggy mane of his mount for quite a while.  
They did not push him and waited patiently for him to make a start at his own pace.

It took several more minutes until Regis finally cleared his throat and began his story in a low voice. "As you know, Valka left me in a rather unpleasant condition, in a stone sarcophagus, where I regenerated very slowly. However, I don't remember the first few years, because I was not really conscious. My perception only gradually began to return and with every sense that was available to me again, my pitiful situation became more unbearable.  
I was too weak to free myself, completely alone and cut off from the outside world. Added to this was the longing for blood and the frustration of knowing that I could not obtain any.  
I would like to say that I endured this with equanimity, but the unfortunate truth is that I probably wasted a full decade of my weak powers to rage and scream. I scratched uselessly at the stone slabs and cursed Valka, whose name I did not even know at that time. I imagined thousands of ways to take revenge for her deed.”

“If I could have freed myself then, I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't have murdered all of Dillingen in my state of insane fury." He paused for a moment and let his words sink in. "As you know, that fortunately didn't happen, and after years of anger, my rage turned to sadness. The disintegrating loneliness gnawed at me and I regretted that Valka hadn't found a way to finish me off once and for all. I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up again.”

“When my sense of touch was finally restored to the point where I could perceive even finer things than the stone slabs, I found a single strip of parchment next to me.  
I could smell the ink on it, but in this absolute darkness it was too dark even for Vampire eyes to decipher the message. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my find, for it kept my mind occupied. I wondered what could be written there. I was outraged at the possibility that it could be an insult, or I feared that it was only by accident in that coffin and did not concern my person at all.”

“Finally, I found a single match. I was as excited as a child that was given candy for the Yuletide, but fortunately I was already sane enough not to light it immediately. I knew that during my imprisonment I had only this one possibility to find out what was written on the parchment and prepared myself for a ridiculously long time. I was especially worried by the thought that after years of darkness I would be too blinded by the light to see anything before the flame went out again.  
In the end I decided to risk the attempt. I used my cloak to muffle the light of the flame and lit the small piece of wood. Excitedly I stared at the parchment and read the short message. _Take it as an opportunity.”_

“The light went out after much too short a time, but overwhelmed by all the sensory impressions, such as the colour of my clothes, the parchment or even the sight of my body, I could not get the meaning of the message at first.  
When I finally did, the old anger returned and again I began to rage and curse the Witcher. How could my agonizing condition be a chance?" Regis paused again and looked at the two Witchers, who gazed at him regretfully.

"But after a while I noticed something. During the whole time I had been working with the parchment, the blood lust had been... quite bearable. The desire was always there, but instead of scratching my mind and eating me up inside as usual, it was more like a soft voice in the back of my head that tried to seduce me but could be ignored. This observation changed everything. I began to reflect on my whole life so far and tried to remember every single one of my pitiful victims. Finally, I questioned myself, whether these poor people only had to die because my desire for blood was not uncontrollable as I always claimed, but simply because there was a lack of meaning in my life that I could not otherwise suppress. “

“At that moment I was deeply ashamed of my previous actions and decisions. I was ashamed of my whole miserable existence and swore to myself that I would never drink blood again."  
Regis interrupted to clear his throat and take a deep breath. The two Witchers still stared at him spellbound and did not dare ask a question until he continued.  
"Until the day I was finally restored enough to free myself, I had made a plan. I wanted to stay in Dillingen and live among the people. I would find a way to work off my great debt to the humans. And so I did."

"My first hours of freedom were overwhelming in every way. I think that without this joy, which even the smallest details of my environment triggered in me and which I was denied for so long, I might have broken my vow and given in to the budding thirst at the very first person I met. But this way I had enough stimuli to distract me. I might have cursed Valka for years, but then I realized that my exile in the sarcophagus was indeed a chance. Without that time there, I might never have found the courage to question myself like that," Regis continued.

"To my surprise, Dillingen was no longer a nice but manageable village, but had grown into quite a respectable town. Instead of clay and wooden houses, I found pretty stone buildings and clean streets. The rural life was still omnipresent in the outskirts, but there were all the amenities we know from the big cities. As you can imagine, I was extremely shocked to learn that the year 1002 had come and that I had spent almost fifty years, forty-eight to be precise, in my stone prison. For someone with an enormous life span like mine, this may not seem very long at first sight. But considering that I was only one hundred and seventeen years old when I met Valka, it felt like an eternity.”

When Veit raised his eyebrows in surprise, Regis interrupted. But since the man didn't make a comment, he continued in a manner addressed to Geralt. "You surely remember that at the time of our fateful first encounter I was working as a barber-surgeon, as long as I wasn't busy with my distillations." Geralt nodded affirmatively.  
"In the course of the centuries I had to leave Dillingen several times for longer periods of time in order not to draw too much attention to my life span. On my return, I always took on a different job, but at its core it was based on my medical skills.  
During this first stay it turned out that the time of my liberation also represented an extraordinary opportunity. The winter had just passed, and a bad flu was raging in the city.”

“To the chagrin of the people, the resident doctor had died of old age a few months earlier. However, this gave me the opportunity to make myself useful. I mixed medicines and treated the sick. Within a few days I had gone from being a sceptically eyed stranger to a welcome guest in every house and welcome at every table.  
No one suspected what I was or knew of the struggle that raged within me. Not to mention that anyone could suspect how often I wished to sink my teeth into the host rather than into the roast.”

“In fact, it did not take long before I was asked to settle down in Dillingen, and since I intended to do so anyway, I naturally agreed. But what I had not expected was the gratitude and generosity of the people. My efforts had significantly mitigated the effects of the flu, and so the city council decided, since the deceased doctor had no heir, to bequeath me his house and the practice attached to it". Regis stopped to take a deep breath.

"You must understand the effect this had on me. Not only did the kindness of these people, made humans even more dear to my heart, my decision to renounce blood led me turn from a broken Vampire who was a senseless vegetative to a respected citizen within days. I had a good job and my own home. It was a sign for me. An omen to be on the right path."

He interrupted when Geralt smiled softly.  
"Excuse me," said the Witcher. "I'm just so used to seeing you in cemeteries, I can hardly imagine you as a house owner. But at least now I understand why others find it hard to do the same with me."  
Regis smiled narrowly and shrugged. "I don't need that much, but I am certainly not averse to a little luxury and cosiness. And this house offered both in abundance. Apart from the constant fight against the blood thirst, which drove me more often than I would have liked, for the safety of my neighbours, into the forest to spend the night there, my life was very pleasant. I practiced my profession, chatted with people and studied them and any other subject that interested me."

Regis interrupted one more time and stared at his horse again. The two Witcher gave each other a meaningful look and Veit finally asked: "Until?"  
Regis looked up and smiled at him joylessly. "Correct. "Until..."

♦

**Autumn 1002 - Brugge, Dillingen**

Leisurely Regis opened the door and stepped out of his house. Winter was coming slowly into view, but for the advanced season it was still pleasantly warm, which was also reflected in the hustle and bustle on the street. No patient was announced for today and Regis wanted to take the time to go for a walk. A few days ago, he had noticed an interesting place at one of the pastures on the outskirts of the city, where a variety of different mushrooms showed up. With a bit of luck, he would be able to collect some psilocybin-containing specimens and thus increase his stock of narcotics.

As he passed the bakery, he greeted the baker, who stood at the open window and kneaded a large amount of dough with her strong arms. The woman looked up and answered the greeting with a smile. Then she pulled a hand out of the dough, reached next to her and threw a small object at him. Regis skilfully caught it and investigated his hand. He smiled joyfully when he recognized it as a plum-filled yeast dumpling, thanked her well and continued his way while he ate the pastry with pleasure.  
He turned into a street and followed it towards the outskirts of the town, until he saw the kindly mayor of Dillingen in the distance, talking with another man. The two men looked up and noticed him approaching. Immediately the mayor said goodbye and came wildly waving towards Regis.  
"My dear Mr. Regis, I am glad to see you," he exclaimed in a good mood.  
"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Markus. How is your wife? Better, I hope?", Regis asked friendly.  
"Oh, very well, very well. She's jumping around like a young deer again. Your medicine has really worked wonders." Satisfied, Regis took a small bow.  
"Dillingen’s citizens can consider themselves really lucky that you decided to stay here. Other towns are not as fortunate to welcome such a gifted doctor." Regis smiled sheepishly and took another little bow.  
"Speaking of luck. Have you already heard what's going on in Kernow at the moment?", Markus chatted on.  
"In Kernow? Not that I know of," explained Regis. The mayor smiled happily at the chance to pass on gossip and clasped his hands. "A Vampire is up to mischief there", he announced dramatically.

Immediately Regis interest was aroused. "A Vampire? Are you sure?"  
Markus nodded eagerly. "It seems they've found some pretty badly mutilated corpses without even a single drop of blood in them." Regis breathed out a little relieved. Ragged bodies were more characteristic for lower Vampires. "Aren't you worried that the Vampire might strike here too?" he asked the man. The mayor waved away. "Come on, winter is coming soon. It can't be long before our dear Miss Valka comes back."  
Confused, Regis stared at the man. "Miss Valka?"  
"Oh, of course", Markus laughed. "I actually forgot that they've only been with us for a year. She comes every year just before the winter and then again shortly after it through our beautiful city. She stays for a few days and then moves on. She has been doing that for, oh ... fifty years. She started before I was born.”  
Regis was still confused, but a bad suspicion was slowly building up inside him. "And how can she help with the Vampire?"

Marcus' smile widened a little more. "Well, she's something quite special. A Witcher. Amazing, isn't it? Female Witchers are incredible rare, but we get to see one every year."  
Regis' friendly expression died suddenly, and panic ensued.  
Without noticing the reaction of his counterpart, Markus continued speaking. "They always say Witchers are so heartless, but you can't really say that about her. She is always friendly and takes care of all monster problems here. She hardly asks anything in return. Usually one night in the tavern and one meal is enough for her. I'm sure she'll take care of the Vampire." He stared at the doctor in confusion. "Are you all right, Mr Regis? You're suddenly so badly pale."  
Regis tore himself from his thoughts. "What? Oh, yes, forgive me. I'm afraid I've just remembered that I have a brew on the fire. Please excuse me." He did not wait for an answer but turned on his heel and walked back to his house with wide steps.

 _Valka_ , he thought. _This must be the Witcher who attacked me. It would be a strange coincidence if a different Witcher had decided to come through Dillingen every year, and that of all times since the beginning of his imprisonment. But to what purpose does she come here? Does she want to check whether I am still lying in the coffin and if not, put me back in it_?  
With a rather uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Regis turned back into the street where his house was. At their last confrontation he was extremely drunk and she had little trouble with him. Today he was in control of his senses, but he had not yet fully recovered from their last encounter. It could not be ruled out that he would be defeated again. Especially as she had decades to prepare for him and he might only has days left.  
Shortly before he reached his goal, he decided to withdraw from the city for a while for safety. The Witcher might be able to defeat him in a direct confrontation, but even she would not be able to track him down if he wanted to avoid it. And in this particular case, he definitely wanted to avoid it.

He took the last steps back to his door and then stopped immediately in front of it. Like a bad joke, the Witcher leaned, arms crossed, and with eyes closed directly against his door. She enjoyed the warm rays of the late autumn morning sun that fell on her face. The hilt of her swords was above her shoulders and the medallion on her chest shone in the light.

Once again panic spread within him and the wheels of his mind turned fast but useless. After the terrible years of his imprisonment, the horror of seeing the woman again who had done this to him, and which he hated passionately, at least at times, was too deep to let him make a decision, and so he simply stood apathetically before her. Staring like a sheep.

Regis watched fearfully as the Witcher slowly opened her eyes. He knew that she must have heard his approach.  
Even before Regis knew what he was doing, he raised both hands defending himself and spoke in a slurred voice. "It wasn't me."

Perplexed, the woman raised her eyebrows and pushed herself away from the door. She said nothing, but her questioning expression caused Regis to repeat himself. "It wasn't me. I had nothing to do with the dead in Kernow."  
The questioning expression first turned into incredulous amazement and then the Witcher broke out in loud laughter.

Regis was stunned. The woman's reaction unsettled him more than if she had simply drawn her silver sword. Horrified, he watched as she wiped a tear from her eyes that the laughter had brought there

"I know," she finally said, turning at least a small part of Regis' exuberant panic into astonishment. "I've already taken care of that problem in Kernow. I'm expecting some silver for the trophy." She pointed in a direction that Regis knew the stables were in.  
"I must confess that I'm delighted that you've apparently been able to give up your unhealthy diet. ...I've been waiting for you to wake up for almost fifty years now and just wanted to check how you were doing." She smiled disarmingly at him.

Once again, the thoughts rotated in his head without result.  
"Oh", was finally all he could manage and thus elicited another laugh from the Witcher.

"Are you hungry?", she suddenly asked, but didn't wait for an answer. "I'm starving. Let's go and find something to eat." She grabbed the overwhelmed Vampire by the wrist and pulled him gently towards the tavern.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
>  **  
>  Next time:  
>  **  
>  Regis reveals another part of his past and makes an unexpected confession.  
>  The Vampire business is getting stranger and stranger.  
>  Geralt and Veit's relationship changes dramatically. We gradually earn the rating E.


	7. Once upon a time in Dillingen… Part 1 of 3

**Autumn 1002 - Brugge, Dillingen**

Regis convulsively clasped the spoon with one hand and a piece of fresh bread with the other while staring silently into the steaming bowl of ragout, wondering how he could get into this extraordinary situation. The panic he felt when he found the Witcher at his front door was already subsiding, as she apparently meant him no harm, and yet a queasy feeling remained in his stomach.  
He raised his head cautiously and tried to look as unobtrusively as possible at the woman sitting opposite him at the table, satisfied with spooning her own portion of ragout. Fortunately for him, she was so completely focused on her meal that she paid little attention to her surroundings and he took the opportunity to look at her in detail.

By their first encounter he hadn't noticed her and had simply dismissed her presence in his carelessness. When she finally confronted him, he did not have the opportunity to notice much more than that he was beheaded by a female Witcher.  
He took his time now, studying her sharply cut features with the straight nose and the dark framed cat's eyes that shone from inside. Her lips had a sensual curl, which was quite irritating both in the clear lines of her face and against the harsh background of her armour. Her hair was of an unspectacular dark blonde colour, but with a very healthily shimmer and bundled into an impressively thick braid on her neck. The strands of hair that had come out of her braid played around her face in gentle waves, giving her a certain tenderness that stood in stark contrast to her obvious fighting nature.  
One could easily tell she was quite tall and muscular, even while she was sitting. Her feminine appearance wasn't affected by this, at all. She was pretty and her eyes made her exotic, but Regis suspected that quite a few men would take offence at her profession and despise her.

He ended the patterning of her appearance and now concentrated on her equipment.  
A glance at her amulet told him that she belonged to the Bear School. But he did not know enough about the Witchercaste to be able to benefit from this information.  
Her armour was simple, functional and in simple earth tones. It consisted mainly of a thickly lined coat and strong leather elements, which were held in place by countless straps. It was certainly not clothing a woman could adorn herself with, but it kept her alive and brought out her slender waist.

Regis went over to inspect her weapons, when the Witcher suddenly seemed to remember her neighbour at the table and dropped the spoon, which she already wanted to lead back to her mouth, back into the bowl. She held one hand in front of her mouth while she smiled embarrassed and chewed and swallowed her last bites.  
"Excuse me, I haven't eaten for almost two days. I'm afraid if I'd waited any longer, I would have gone out to pasture with the cows and grazed with them."

A little smile crept unintentionally into Regis' face and another piece of tension fell off him. The Witcher really didn't give the impression that she wanted to harm him, and since he now felt himself to be far enough of a master of his mind again, he kindly replied: "As a doctor, I could of course only approve of the positive effects of the dietary fibres in the grass, but I suspect the ragout is probably the better culinary choice".

As her smile widened and her yellow eyes lit up a little brighter, even Regis could not prevent his smile from growing.  
He suddenly remembered his manners and tilted his head slightly. "My name is Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy."  
First she looked at him astonished and then smiled. "I'm afraid it will take a lot of practice to master that name."  
He tilted his head and winked at her understandingly. "In this case, I'm simply Regis."  
"I guess that's possible for me," she replied happily. "Well then, Regis, I am delighted to make your acquaintance under such peaceful circumstances. I am Valka the bear."

Regis took the hint and relaxed now for good. He didn't know what intentions the Witcher had, but there were certainly none that could be dangerous to him. He took his spoon between his fingers for the first time and dipped it into his bowl.  
As he tasted the first bite of his gradually cooled ragout, he noticed that she, in turn, had begun to take a good look at him.  
"You look a little different," she explained after a moment. "Your hair is a little shorter and you didn't wear these sideburns before. But they suit you. They bring out your features."  
Before he could say anything back, she lowered her eyes and added in a softer voice: "And you look older. That's good."

In surprise, Regis frowned. "Why should that be good?"  
Valka scratched embarrassed with her spoon at the bottom of the bowl and searched for the right words. "I might not have noticed that you... are what you are if you hadn't looked so young then. Too young to be a doctor," she finally explained hesitantly.  
He thought about her words, and after a few moments he asked, "How old do I look?  
A little smile flitted across her face as he asked, but did not stay there long. "Of course, mirrors aren't very supportive towards you." She put a finger to her lips and thought. "I would say that when we first met, you looked like a man of about twenty-five, maybe a few more. Now you look more like you're in your late thirties. A good and convincing age for a doctor."

Regis sighed softly and unhappily dipped a piece of bread into his bowl, while muttering softly: "I hadn't thought that regeneration had demanded so much of me."  
Valka lowered her head in shame and slid restlessly around in her chair. "I'm terribly sorry that... that I did that, but you must understand - I simply had no choice at the time."  
He dropped the bread and clenched his hands in fists. "I know."

The Witcher looked up in surprise and stared at him with her mouth open. Obviously, she was looking for an appropriate response, but before she could formulate a sentence, Regis continued.  
"Can we finish it somewhere else? In a more private setting?"  
She needed a moment to process his abrupt request. Then she quickly looked around the restaurant and finally nodded to him. As she got up, she reached for her swords, which were leaning beside her at the table. She put them over her shoulder and took a few steps towards the door. But when Regis tried to follow her, she suddenly stopped again and turned back to him. "Please wait a little while longer," she said before turning around again and walking towards the barmaid at the counter without further explanation.

Irritated, Regis acted as he was told and looked after her. The conversations of the other guests produced a constant noise level, so that he could not hear what the Witcher was saying to the woman, but he could see that she put a few crowns on the counter and then pointed her finger first at him and then at herself.  
He raised his eyebrows in wonder when he saw that the woman immediately reacted outraged and looked at Valka from head to toe, with her hands outstretched to her sides.  
For some reason this seemed to amuse the Witcher quite a bit and he watched as she raised one hand to her mouth to hide her broad grin.

Astonished, he frowned and was about to join her to find out what was going on there, when the barmaid finished her examination and, with her head raised and her nose in the air, disappeared into a room behind her.  
Meanwhile Valka turned and looked at him and pressed her lips firmly together so as not to laugh out loud. Cluelessly Regis shook his head. It must be some Witcher thing he didn't understand.

After a short time, the barmaid came back and handed Valka a big napkin, in which obviously something had been wrapped. Her expression was extremely grim, but she didn't say a word anymore. She just stroked the crowns from the counter into her hand.  
Regis watched as Valka wave goodbye happily and return to him with her purchase. The grim look of the barmaid remained on the Witcher until they stepped out the door.

Once outside, Valka immediately took a specific direction and Regis followed her in silence. After a few meters he noticed which way she was heading. "You want to go to the stable?", he asked.  
"I have to get something. But it won't take long," she confirmed his assumption.  
Then she paused briefly. "A little further behind the stable, just at the edge of the town, there is a beautiful meadow with a big boulder. I passed by it this morning. The grass is dry and there are even some flowers. Would you like that? The weather is fine and we don't need to fear strangers' ears there.  
Regis nodded. "Sure."

Valka smiled at him despite his monosyllable answer, then she handed him the napkin. "Take this for a moment, please." He did as he was told and looked at her as she quickly disappeared through the door of the stable they had just reached.  
She needed indeed only a moment and then came back with saddlebags hanging over her shoulder. She stretched out her hand and wanted to take the napkin back, but Regis drew his hand back and shook his head. "You're wearing enough already. I'll carry on with this one." She smiled at him again and then nodded encouragingly in the direction of the meadow. Together they continued on their way.

Shortly before they reached the edge of town, a group of young women came towards them whom Regis recognized as the daughters of the miller and the cooper. He had already treated most of them in his practice and nodded to them friendly.  
The women giggled in response to his greeting and put their heads together as they passed by. To his amazement, Regis noticed that they suddenly stopped behind them and gossiped towards Valka. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that they were giving the Witcher a very toxic look.  
He immediately turned back to her and noticed that she had turned around to the women and waved to them in amusement.

Irritated, he looked at the women, who now continued their way indignantly. "After all what the mayor had told me, I actually assumed that you are welcome here," he finally said to Valka.  
She promptly laughed out loud and pursed her lips in amusement. "That is true. I have always been warmly welcomed here." Regis raised his eyebrows questioningly. "And why do these people stare at you so sinisterly."  
She shook her head laughing. "Can't you guess?" she asked. "Maybe it's because you're a Witcher?", he puzzled.

They reached their destination and Valka took the saddlebag from her shoulder. "Maybe because I am a woman," she replied with a grin, pointing to a place nearby that would be good for a rest. Regis followed her and watched as she put the bag down and took off her swords to sit comfortably.  
"In what way does it matter," he asked and sat opposite her on the soft floor.

She had already picked up her saddlebags again and rummaged around in one of the leather bags. His question made her pause and she looked at him with a broad grin. "You didn't look properly, Regis. It wasn't people who looked at me sinisterly, it were women," she explained.  
"And why should women despise you for being one too?"  
Valka pulled her hand out of her pocket and laid it in her lap, then bent over towards Regis a little. With a half-serious, half-bushy expression on her face she explained: "Because I'm not even half a day in town again, but I spent most of that time together with the handsome and quite unmarried doctor.

Regis stared at her stunned. "You... you got to be kidding me?"  
She laughed again. "You really haven't noticed the way women flock around you? I can hardly imagine. Every woman you walk past turns red and starts giggling silly. And as soon as you pass them, they put their heads together and whisper. I've watched it so often in the short time I've been here now, I'd bet you're the most desired bachelor in town." She winked mischievously at him and then continued to rummage around in her bag. "I perfectly understand" she added. "You're a doctor. I've only seen your house from the outside, but it looks very nice and comfortable. You're quite handsome and in excellent physical condition - by human standards. Any woman who could make such a catch would be very lucky," she listed without taking her eyes off her saddlebag.

He continued to look at her speechlessly and did not really know how to deal with this information. Of course, he had noticed the strange behaviour of many women in this city, but it had never occurred to him that he could be the cause of it. But now that Valka had enlightened him, it suddenly occurred to him how often some of the young women came to his practice and complained about symptoms for which he could not find a cause in most cases. The enigmatic suffering of the women probably resulted from nothing other than the desire to see him.  
Regis felt the blush rise to his face and he embarrassingly turned to the side.  
Meanwhile Valka looked up again and still grinned at him amusedly, but fortunately said nothing more about it. Instead, she pulled a stone bottle out of her bag.

She held the bottle to her ear and shook it slightly. A soft gurgling sounded and she nodded contentedly, then she bit the big cork and pulled it out with her teeth. Meanwhile she pointed her finger at the napkin bundle and Regis hurried to untie the knot.  
As he unfolded the piece of cloth, a loaf of fresh bread, a ring of sausage and some pieces of cheese, as well as two clay cups appeared.

"Our meal wasn't over yet," Valka explained and reached for the cups. She filled them both with some of the liquid from the bottle and handed him back a cup. He accepted it with thanks and was happy when the pungent smell of alcohol rose into his nose.  
Her conversation so far had fuelled his craving for strong alcohol anyway.  
Valka cheered him and took a sip of the hooch with pleasure.

Regis proceeded more timidly despite his embarrassment. He first sniffed the drink, but couldn't assign any of the aromas. Only then he took a small sip and let it run down his tongue.  
Surprised, he opened his eyes when the complexity and softness of the bouquet hit him. "This is delicious."

Valka smiled at him again. "Isn't it?" she replied. "I received a few bottles of it as payment from an Ophiri who had a little Drowner-problem on his travels. I have never found anything like this anywhere else."  
Regis took another sip and closed his eyes with delight while he savoured the taste. "What is this made of?" he finally asked.  
Thoughtfully, Valka tilted her head. "I don't know much about the distilling, but the man told me that he adds specially stored mandrake to the mash. I suspect they bring that special aroma."  
Regis nodded enthusiastically. "A quite excellent drink."  
Smiling, she reached into her bag one more time and pulled out a second bottle. "My last one," she said. "I think we can use it later."

Regis leaned back a little and put the cup down on his thigh. He had almost forgotten with whom he was sitting here on the meadow, but now the trepidation seized him again. He took a deep breath and looked at Valka thoughtfully. "How did you know you would find me here in Dillingen? I might as well have gone somewhere else."  
Valka nodded in agreement. "I didn't know," she replied. "I knew that sooner or later you would wake up. I can't tell you why, but I felt the need to know when that would happen. So every year I passed through Dillingen on my way to the winter quarters and also on my way back. I stopped here and paid a visit to the cemetery to see if you were still there. This time the big pile of stone rubble, where the sarcophagus used to stand, was a pretty clear indication that you woke up again. ...I must confess, I was quite worried when I realized that the tracks indicated that you must have freed yourself quite a short time after my last flying visit and had been free for almost another year."

She slipped uncomfortably on the floor. "I was very much afraid that when I arrived in Dillingen I would be confronted with another Vampire contract."  
Regis looked at her thoughtfully, but said nothing in response.  
"You can hardly imagine how relieved I was, when this morning, just outside the town, I met some farmers who remembered me and wanted to have a little chat. Not only they did tell me that it had been very peaceful lately, but they also raved wordlessly about the new doctor who had settled in town. Who generously treated their sick children, even though they could hardly give him anything in return.” She smiled tentatively at him.  
"The description they gave me was so clear that I had no doubt that it really had to be about you and not some other man. ...Getting directions to your house afterwards was easy." She paused briefly and looked at him seriously. "I'm glad that I wasn't wrong in my assessment of your character, at least."

Regis returned her gaze emotionlessly. "What led you to believe that I don't drink every single person in town when I wake up?" Valka flinched and stared at the floor while she was obviously searching for words.  
"When I was younger, I have encountered higher Vampires. One of them had... a problem. He couldn't control himself and couldn't stop drinking until his victims were dead. Plus, unlike you, he was cruel. He didn't just feed on the blood of humans, he enjoyed watching them suffer. In short, the other Vampires demanded that I exploit his intoxication. And after I did that, one of them explained to me that although higher Vampires usually don't care much for the other species, they usually take care not to attract attention. And if they drink blood, they would prefer to keep their victims alive, or at least not leave too many bodies in one place. He also explained to me that there would always be problems with sadists and blood addicts among them, who, just like the lower Vampires, would simply kill their victims."

Regis looked at her with astonishment. "It is not necessarily usual to share this information with members of other races." Valka nodded and quickly took another sip. "I don't know why he told me this. I only know that when I came to Dillingen and saw how you saved the boy and later spared his mother, I simply knew that you could not be bad. It may have been stupid, but I hoped that you really cared about people and you'd only have trouble with..."  
"With my blood addiction," he finished the sentence for her. She nodded again and Regis sighed loud. "I must confess, to my shame, that I really have a problem with drinking. ...It's idiotic. I have …killed people, even though it weighed on my conscience. I have lost someone very dear to me, and yet I probably never would have admitted to myself that I was an addict if I hadn't been given... a lot of time to think."

Valka looked at him compassionately. If she understood his insinuation, she was polite enough not to go into it, but instead asked her cautiously: "Will you be alright?"  
Regis shook his head. "It's... a challenge. Every - single - day! But now that I have painfully realized what I was doing, just because I couldn't buck up and I could finally find a meaningful task, I have it under control, mainly. He paused and looked to the side. "But there are days when the thirst gets so bad that I have to leave the city." Valka leaned over to him and laid her hand on his, comforting.

"Why did you stay in Dillingen?" she asked graciously.  
Regis smiled tiredly and leaned back. "Because I hardly had any alternative. My so-called friends left me behind because I violated a sacred principle. No Vampire should fly drunk. And you know how that ended for me. So my only choice was to wander aimlessly through the world until my people were ready to talk to me again, or I simply put the energy into the place that suffered most from me. As you can see, my options were severely limited." He grunted sullenly and stared silently into the distance for a while.  
Until he suddenly turned back to her and looked her straight in the eyes. "I hated you."  
She winced, but neither broke eye contact nor took her hand off his.  
"I hated you so deeply, I wished a thousand times to kill you. I have spent - years - imagining how I would rip your heart from your chest, tear your throat out and drink your blood."

Valka's face became even paler than usual, but she didn't even move. "I expected nothing else", she explained in a low, sad voice.

Regis stared at her with a stony expression for a moment, then his features suddenly softened and with his left hand he reached for hers, which was still resting on his right. He lifted it gently and bent over to put a tender kiss on the back of her hand. "I thank you for bringing my shame before me."

She returned his gaze soulfully as a sad smile flickered across her face.  
For a few silent moments they held the intense eye contact, then they both turned away confused. Regis cleared his throat embarrassed as he let go of her hand and Valka's cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink.

"Would you like some more mandrake moonshine?", she finally asked shyly. "I'd love some," he replied hastily.

**~**

Regis took the knife that Valka handed him and cut off an edge from the fragrant bread. With a quick motion he wiped the crumbs from the blade on his sleeve and handed it back to her. "What exactly gave me away back then? You say I seemed too young for you, but that alone is no proof. It's not even a clue."  
The Witcher nodded and hurried to chew. After she had swallowed her bite, she replied: "Your appearance merely made me look at you more intensely. It was your shadow that finally betrayed you. ...I mean the absence of it."  
Regis thoughtfully plucked a piece of his bread and pointed it at his counterpart. "That was very thoughtful of you. Until now, I always had the impression that nobody pays attention to such a detail."  
She shrugged. "True, but you weren't my first higher Vampire. I'm probably just a little more sensitive on the subject." Embarrassed, she brushed a strand of hair off her face. "Among Witchers, I'm considered something of an expert on Vampires. ...but my expert knowledge wasn't up to much. When I took the job back then, I was absolutely sure I was dealing with an Alp or a Bruxa. I was shocked to stumble upon a higher Vampire so soon after I arrived."

Regis smiled. "Would it have made any difference if you knew what you were dealing with?"  
Valka stared at him in wonder. "But of course. No Witcher with his mind right would take on a higher Vampire. "I would never have taken on this assignment, if I had known in advance. The only reason why I didn't jump on the horse after I became aware of you and left Dillingen behind me in a cloud of dust was because I still assumed that the real killer was a lower Vampire and that you were there rather by chance. In retrospect, the thought seems rather silly, but that's the way it was then."

Regis grinned and tore another piece of bread, but before he put it in his mouth he asked: "And why did you think it was an Alp?" Valka pressed her lips together and for a moment searched for the right words. "Well... people have been killed, so that indicates lower Vampires." She paused for a moment and then continued timidly, "And then there was all the broken glass and dishes. I thought it was the result of the screams and not..."  
"For the work of a drunken Vampire who staggers and outlines everything that gets in his way," Regis completed her sentence bitterly. "It's beyond me how I could humiliate myself like this for decades."

Valka took a lump of cheese and broke it in two. She handed one of them to Regis and looked him straight in the eye. "That's all in the past now. I'm sure your future shines brighter."  
"I hope you are right," he replied with a wry grin. "Speaking of the future, how long will you stay in Dillingen?"  
She took a sip from her cup to rinse the cheese down, then gently swung it back and forth. "I'm leaving first thing in the morning. I have to pick up the reward for the Katakan that was making trouble in Kernow and then I'm already expected in the fortress. There are some young Witchers who are going on the Path for the first time next spring and I have my part to play to make sure they don't come to an abrupt end." Regis nodded slightly. "I understand," he said softly.  
Valka looked at him friendly and then grabbed the bottle with the mandrake moonshine again. "There are still a few hours left of the day."

**~**

Shortly after sunrise, Regis headed for the stables. He had chatted with the Witcher for a long time the previous day, and when they separated and Valka went to her room in the tavern, they did not say goodbye, but wished each other a good night's rest. He wanted to make up for it now and see the Witcher one more time before she left.

When he arrived at the stables, her scent and the rustling in the stable told him that she was already preparing her horse for the journey.  
He didn't like to stay in the stables because the horses became nervous in his presence, so he leaned against the wall next to the door and waited patiently for her to come out.

He did not have to wait long until the big gate was opened and Valka led her horse out by the bridle. He saw that she had already attached her swords to the saddle and was ready to go. But when his gaze fell on the severed Katakan head, which was hanging on a hook on the side of the horse, he flinched, thus drawing Valka's attention to him.  
"You're here," she said with a smile. "Good, I wanted to say goodbye to you anyway."  
When she noticed that he looked past her, she followed his gaze and made a worried face. "I hope you don't mind too much that one of your relatives..." Regis shook his head. "No, it only brings back... unpleasant memories."  
"I see," she replied, then moved a little closer to him. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm really glad the way things turned out and thank you for not taking it too hard on me for what I did to you."  
Regis looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and tried to remember what he wanted to tell her. "And I thank you for the chance you gave me."

Valka grabbed his forearm and pressed it friendly, then without further ado she turned around and swung herself into the saddle. She sorted the reins and then looked down again at Regis. "Listen, ... now that you're awake, I really have no reason to make the detour via Dillingen. But if you wouldn't mind..."  
Regis raised a hand, smiling. "I'm afraid our mayor would be devastated if you decided to stop your visits." He hesitated briefly. "And I would be happy if I had the opportunity to talk to someone I do not have to pretend to be something I am not, now and then."  
The Witcher smiled at him. "In that case, I'll see you when the snow melts. Farewell, Emiel Regis Rohellec and the rest I'll learn too."

He laughed amused and his teeth came out for a moment. "Farewell Valka and take care of yourself."  
She gripped the reins tighter, but before she gave her horse the spurs, she suddenly bent down again and gave Regis a gentle kiss on the cheek. Then she straightened up again, laughing, pressed her heels to the horse's side and rode away.

Surprised, Regis stopped for a moment and watched her. He raised one hand to his face and put his fingers where he could still feel the tingling of the kiss.

As he slowly turned around to go back to his house, he noticed a group of women standing at a distance, staring at him with open mouths and a horrified expression on their faces.  
 _Oh my goodness_ , he thought as the blood rose to his face and he walked home with quick steps.

Right in front of his house his eyes fell on some last sunflowers gently swaying in the wind. And as the image of shining cat's eyes wandered through his mind, he wondered if he could possibly find mandrakes in this area.

♦

"Did she come back?" Geralt asked curiously. Regis nodded. "She returned just when the snow melted. This time she even stayed for a couple of days before she left to do her work again."  
"I guess it must have been very pleasant to be with someone you don't have to hide your fangs from?", the Witcher asked further and Regis nodded again. "You have no ideas. ...I have got used to this charade over the years, but especially in the beginning the challenge was enormous. It is extremely unpleasant to pretend to be something you are not. I was always afraid that I would be discovered. So the time with Valka was... relaxing.

Geralt silently thought about his friend's story. He was of course aware that Regis must have built up more intimate relationships and friendships in his previous life, but to his shame he had to admit that he had never thought about it before. Now suddenly being confronted with so much private life of the Vampire made Geralt realize in a frightening way how little he knew about his friend.  
Despite the bitter realization he could not help but smile a little. Geralt didn't think of himself as a man of gifted logic, but he could guess what the story was leading to and so he asked curiously: "You really liked her a lot, huh?"

Actually, he expected that an embarrassed expression would sneak into Regis' face and the man would nod cautiously, but to his surprise the Vampire's expression got cold. "No," he replied harshly. Geralt flinched in surprise.  
"But I thought...", he stammered, but was immediately interrupted again by Regis. "No Geralt, I didn't like her. I loved her!"

Surprised, Geralt stared at his friend after this unexpected confession. He knew that the man had had a pretty serious relationship in the past, which had gone to pieces. Regis had told him about it himself. The fact that he had obviously felt such intense feelings for the Witcher without ever mentioning her left a queasy feeling in Geralt's stomach. He looked at his friend with concern and then gently asked, "What happened?"  
Regis laughed cheerlessly and looked at him. "What could have happened, my friend... I've ruined it. I've ruined everything."

"Damn it," Veit suddenly spoke up and pulled the other two men out of their gloomy conversation. "What's wrong?" Geralt asked alarmed.  
Veit scratched the back of his head. "We've reached our destination, Toderas lies straight ahead."  
"And what exactly is worrying you?" Regis asked. Veit cleared his throat uneasily. "I'm sorry, I understand that you're uncomfortable about this. But I've known Valka for so long and - well, your story is also her story." He took a little embarrassed break. "I had hoped to learn more until we ..." Regis raised a hand to silence the Witcher. "I understand," he said dryly. "I would strongly recommend that we concentrate on the task at hand now."  
Veit nodded dejectedly, but his eyes lit up enthusiastically as Regis continued speaking. "I've promised to tell the story and I'll stick to it. After all, we still have the way back."

♦

Just before the attacked village, the three men got off their horses and attached the reins to a low-hanging, gnarled branch. The two Witchers loosened their swords from their saddles and Veit pulled a handful of Moon Dust bombs out of a bag.  
The attack had been several days before, but neither of them wanted to risk meeting a group of lower Vampires unprepared.

With a quick hand movement Geralt gave the direction. The other two followed him silently as they approached the first buildings. Just as Geralt was about to pass the bushes that surrounded Toderas, Regis suddenly grabbed his forearm and held it back. Only a second later he also noticed what was worrying his friend. "Necrophages," he formed silently with his lips and Veit nodded to confirm that he had also noticed the foul smell.

Carefully, Geralt pushed a hand into the hunting bag on his chest strap and took out a vial of blade oil. Slowly, so as not to make the blade swing, he pulled his silver sword out of its sheath and greased the blade. Then he handed the vial to Veit and waited until he had also prepared his weapon.

When they were prepared, Geralt nodded to the other men and stepped out of the shadow of the bushes.  
With the direct view of Toderas, Geralt got the feeling to experience a déjà-vu. As on his last visit here, the place was littered with torn and half-eaten dead bodies. Ghouls and some Alghouls cavorted around the corpses and enjoyed their feast.

It took a moment until the first ghouls became aware of them.  
It almost seemed as if it was frightened, the way the monster jumped back and made the other creatures aware of the three men.  
Quickly Veit and Geralt jumped apart so that they couldn't get in each other's way with their swords. They just had time to get into fighting position when the first monsters attacked.

With quick blows they ploughed through the monsters and mowed them down one after the other.  
It took only a few moments until the two Witchers were forced to run after the ghouls, who, worried by the quick end of their fellow monsters, kept their distance.  
The Alghouls were less cautious and attacked Geralt with their spikes extended. The Witcher was forced to let his sword sink and to perform Axii on the monsters so he could escape the poisonous spikes.  
Veit used the chance to jump over them with a somersault and with some quick swings of his blade he decapitated the confused beasts. Then he put the blade back into its sheath in a flowing movement and winked at Geralt casually. He was just about to respond when he noticed that Veit's attention had been diverted over his shoulder. Immediately he turned around and just witnessed Regis leaping with a tremendous jump towards one last Alghoul and slashing it with one blow of his long claws.  
Without further ado, the Vampire changed back into his familiar form and approached the Witcher in a relaxed manner.  
"Well I assume we won't find any survivors here anymore", he explained. Geralt nodded in reply and Veit tore himself out of his amazement, shaking his head. "Let's look around. Maybe we will find something useful," he added.

**~**

Frustrated Geralt rose from the squat and stretched his legs.  
The ground between the buildings was full of tracks, but the necrophages had made them practically unreadable. In some places, he and Veit had found isolated traces of lower Vampires, but they did not provide any information about how many were here, nor could they determine with certainty which species of lower Vampires were here. Only the condition of the bodies gave them some clues. The progressing decomposition confirmed their suspicion that the attack had taken place some time ago.  
He rubbed his hand over his mouth and was about to shout something to Veit, who was examining the ground a few meters away, when Regis appeared in the door of one of the buildings and drew attention to himself.

Relieved he sprinted towards the Vampire who had already disappeared through the door into the inside again.  
"Did you find anything?" he wanted to know when he was close enough to spot the man in front of him. Regis looked over his shoulder and gave both men a penetrating stare. "Maybe. It's best if you see for yourself."  
The two Witchers looked at each other in wonder and then walked around Regis to look at the spot the Vampire pointed to.

A long room opened up in front of them and was plunged into absolute chaos. It seemed to be a dormitory, because there were beds and blankets lying all over the floor. For a moment, Geralt wondered what his old friend was getting at when his eyes fell on a bed that was very different from the others. He raised his eyebrows when he turned to Regis. "Remarkable. The whole room looks like a dwarf wedding, and the cot is in perfect condition in the middle of the room. Even the bedding has been shaken."  
Veit came closer to the ominous sleeping place and poked his sword into the blankets. "So someone was here after the attack and made himself comfortable. The necrophages didn't seem to bother him."

"That would be most astonishing," Regis intervened in a serious voice. "It is as I feared."  
In surprise, Geralt stared at the man. "Well, I'm afraid I have to tell you that a higher Vampire has spent the night in this bed."

**~**

"Are you really sure about this?", Geralt asked again. Regis nodded patiently. "There is no doubt." Veit tilted his head thoughtfully. "Could it perhaps just be a coincidence?"  
Regis shook his head sadly smiling. "As much as I would like it, if none of my brethren was involved in another massacre. It would be highly unlikely to assume that a higher Vampire would just happen to arrive at a place that was directly destroyed by a pack of lower Vampires who would not come together voluntarily. No, I'm afraid we must face the truth. The Vampires are acting under orders."

Geralt sighed and teared his hair. "But what in Melitele's name is the Vampire doing this for? Velen has nothing to offer."  
Regis put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "I can't make sense of it either. We must place our hopes on the fact that the rest of our..."

Regis was interrupted when an unexpected growl cut through the darkness of the hut. Before any of them could react, a black silhouette jumped out of the shadows, pounced on the Vampire and threw him against the wall so hard that it cracked and he was thrown outside.  
Before the two appalled Witchers had even drawn their swords, the monster rushed at Regis again through the hole in the wall.

Cursing, Geralt dashed after the huge Katakan. When he came within range of the monster, he stabbed more panically than purposefully to distract the Vampire from Regis. Indeed, the Katakan abandoned Regis and turned to Geralt instead. The creature clawed Geralt furiously and drove him further and further back towards the edge of the village.  
He was so busy fending off the blows and keeping his balance on the uneven ground that he saw no possibility to attack the Vampire on his part. So Geralt had nothing left but to hope that his friends would come to his aid as soon as possible. Only a moment later he saw Regis recover and jump on the Vampire, with his claws out.

The Katakan cried out in pain and his fury increased visibly, when he hit him. Worried, the Witcher noticed that the monster was concentrating on Regis again and the two of them circled around each other like wild animals. Desperately he searched for a meaningful point of attack to hurt the Vampire. But when he took a step aside to get a better access, Geralt suddenly realized that he was tricked by the Katakan. The Vampire suddenly turned to him and prepared for a huge blow.

"GERALT!", Veit cried out desperately and threw himself between the Witcher and the monster.

Horrified, Geralt watched as the Vampire's claws hit the man's back and passed through as if through butter.  
Time passed surreal slowly as his gaze fell on the painfully distorted face of his friend. After a terrible eternity, the flow of time suddenly accelerated again and Geralt had to watch how Veit was hurled over the edge of the slope at the rim of the village, by the violent blow. The noise his body made when he fell several meters through bushes and rocks made painful brawl in his ears.

Geralt was stunned when he looked up and noticed that the Vampire's face was gloatingly contorted. Only a second later the Katakan jumped to the side and evaded a blow from Regis. Instead of launching another attack as expected, the Vampire suddenly tensed the powerful muscles of his legs and sprinted away at an incredible speed.

Undecided, Regis stopped in front of Geralt and looked towards the abyss into which Veit had just fallen. A last bit of logical reasoning became noticeable in the Witcher and he frantically pointed after the Vampire. "RUN REGIS. HE MUST NOT ESCAPE!" he shouted to his friend. Regis nodded and turned into dark fog before he had even turned in the direction the Katakan escaped.

In panic, Geralt turned to the hillside and started his descent. Without really paying attention to his safety, he slipped down the steep slope and watched out for the other Witcher.  
When he saw the lifeless body lying in some distance, his knees became weak. He dragged himself towards him with difficulty and fell to his knees right in front of him. "Veit, Oh God, Veit."  
With trembling fingers, Geralt grabbed the body and pulled it towards him. He was too scared to examine the Witcher properly, instead he lifted him gently, pulled him into his arms and leaned his head against his neck. After two hysterical breaths he noticed that the other Witcher was still breathing, and his heart was beating so hard with relief that it hurt.  
Carefully Geralt let his hand slide over the back of the Witcher while he expected the worst. But then he faltered confused.

Irritated, Geralt stretched his neck to let his eyes confirm what his fingers told him.  
Veit's armour had been mercilessly torn to shreds by the claws, but where the thick fabric revealed the view of the Witcher's body, nothing but flawless skin could be seen.

Relieved, Geralt gasped. He pushed the unconscious man away from him and laid him gently on the ground again. When he leaned back in disbelief with one hand on his mouth, he could only shake his head again. He would have sworn that the Katakan had caught him with its claws.  
Geralt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he gently put a hand on the unusually stubby cheek of the man. "I thought I had lost you", he muttered untypically emotionally in a shaky voice. Without really thinking about what he was doing, he leaned forward and put his lips gently on the other man's.  
A small gasp made him suddenly shrink back.

Fluttering, Veit opened his eyes and looked around confused. "What happened?", he wanted to know. Again, Geralt took a deep breath. "The Katakan pushed you down the slope," he explained. "How do you feel?"  
Veit moved his shoulders a little, his face contorted. "As if I fell from a height of eight meters, on my spine. I hardly dare to ask, but ... is everything where it belongs?"  
Relieved, Geralt grinned at the man as the shock subsided. "You really are a lucky boy. I guess your back will shimmer in the most amazing colours for the next few days, but you don't have a scratch on it otherwise."  
Veit looked at him with a raised eyebrow before sarcastically replying, "Well, hurray."

Overwhelmed and with almost inaudible sobbing in his voice, Geralt laughed up and bent over again to give the man a kiss.  
When their lips met, Veit opened his eyes in amazement, then he raised one hand and laid it tenderly against Geralt's cheek. "Hey, is everything okay?" Geralt shook his head with his eyes closed. "You could have died. It was...terrifying."

He gently stroked Geralt's cheek with his thumb. "Nothing happened to me, don't worry." He pressed a little kiss on Geralt's forehead and then he put on a mischievous face. "If I'd known I could get your hand there like that, I'd have messed with a Katakan sooner."

Confused, Geralt flinched. His right hand was still resting on the man's cheek, but suddenly he noticed that his left hand was resting on his thigh, very close to..." Shocked, he pulled back his hand and earned a restrained laughter from Veit.  
Embarrassed, Geralt turned his head to the side. In his panic he hadn't noticed where he had put his fingers.  
Veit smiled tenderly at him and used the opportunity to lean on his elbows. He groaned as he shifted his weight and straightened his battered back. He had just put himself in a halfway upright position when his pupils widened in shock.

One look down revealed to him that he was not imagining it. Geralt's hand was again on his thigh, but this time his fingers moved slowly towards his crotch.

Veit gasped in amazement and watched Geralt's hand come closer and closer. He swallowed dry and bit his lip. Immediately before his fingers would touch him, Veit grabbed the other Witcher's hand and pushed it away.  
Astonished, Geralt looked at him. "I thought you wanted this," he asked and suddenly felt strangely shy. Again, Veit swallowed and then nodded silently. "By the gods, Geralt, you have no idea how much I want this."  
"Why...?", was all the Witcher asked. Veit made a face and let go of his hand. His expression was melancholy when he answered him. "Because I want you to really want me. I have no interest in you getting involved, because you act out of panic and don't really want to. Or worse, maybe it disgusts you."

Geralt leaned back in indignation, but did not reply.  
"Think about it, Geralt. You've blocked every single approach I've made to you until now. You weren't necessarily reticent when you expressed your opinion. I just have to assume that you're only considering it because you were just a bit in shock," he added a little sadly.

Geralt remained silent for a moment. Then he looked at his hands in shame. "I've been thinking about it a lot in the last few days," he confessed unusually insecure. "I wondered if I... wanted... you."  
Veit looked at him with astonishment. "And to what conclusion have you come?"  
"Until this morning I only knew that I couldn't stop thinking about it. Whether I wanted to or not," he faltered briefly. "Veit, I have no idea what I want. I only know that when I saw the Katakan almost kill you, I... I just regretted that I didn't try harder to figure it out."

Veit watched him in astonishment for a moment and then leaned forward slowly to bring their lips together again. For his pleasure Geralt didn't offer any resistance, although he was clearly tense.  
Veit opened his mouth slightly to let the tip of his tongue stroke over the man's lips and didn't feel the slightest hesitation this time either. His pulse shot up as their kiss became more passionate. The pleasure he felt whirled around in his mind and shot into his stomach, only to hit it with a feeling of exuberant enthusiasm before a stab of pure passion went straight between his legs.

Veit knew he was risking a lot when he took his hand off Geralt's cheek and put it directly on his crotch without the slightest warning. Geralt hissed in the air while Veit slowly followed the contours. He squeezed gently until Geralt closed his eyes with a sigh and laid his forehead on Veit's shoulder.

"You really shouldn't look down now", Veit warned him tenderly before he reached for Geralt's belt with both hands.  
The Witcher flinched again in fright, but since he didn't resist, Veit continued unperturbed to loosen the loops of his belt. After the first obstacle was removed, Veit reached for the bands that still separated him from his target. With agitated movements he untied the knot and impatiently pulled the annoying piece of cloth down.

He sighed blissfully as the stiff dick willingly jumped towards him. How often had he wished to have Geralt in front of him like this in the last weeks?  
Eagerly Veit grabbed him and slipped back on the floor a little bit to be able to move better.

Geralt gasped when Veit took him deep into his mouth. He lost no time and immediately started to press his tongue against the sensitive tendon at the bottom. Stars flashed before Geralt's eyes but before he really knew what was happening to him, Veit pulled back a little and scraped the delicate tip with the back of his teeth.  
Desperately Geralt let himself fall and clawed his fingers into the loamy ground. His mind protested quietly, knowing that a man was giving him this incredible feeling, but the urgent desire that made his whole lower body contract, meant that he ignored these objections. He made no effort to suppress his frantic moaning while Veit sucked him passionately.  
With every time his tongue ran over the tendon, Geralt's muscles tensed up in sweet anticipation. Uncertainly Geralt grabbed Veit's head and hooked his fingers in the man's hair.  
Of course, he had had countless blowjobs in his life, but this time, despite the warning, when he opened his eyes and looked down, the world exploded around him.

The sight of Veit with his broad shoulders and the so untypically unshaven cheeks, closing his lips greedily around Geralt's cock, was too much. Moaning Geralt tensed up and he came with pulsating thrusts violently in the mouth of the Witcher.

Geralt blinked tears from his eyes when Veit broke away from him shortly after and put a last kiss on his tip. He had waited patiently until he stopped shaking with ecstasy. But the aftermath of the orgasm still held him tightly in its grip.  
His useless mind turned on again to remind him that his actions went against his previous habits and probably Geralt would have felt worried about this if he hadn't felt the urgent need to open Veit's pants and press his cock against his own pulsating one.

With a beating heart Geralt gave the Witcher an uncertain kiss on his lips. He felt that there were words to be said and things to be done, but at the moment he didn't have the strength to do any of them.  
Quickly he straightened his clothes and fastened the belt. But before he turned away he grinned embarrassedly in Veit's direction. "We'll come back to this soon."  
Veit didn't answer and just smiled at him lovingly with glowing eyes.

**~**

A few minutes later Geralt stumbled, looking for a way up through the thicket at the precipice. His previous impression made him think that they would probably have to make a considerable detour to get back to their horses. However, as he circled around another large thorn bush, he noticed, to his horror, Regis sitting calmly on a fallen tree, cleaning his nails. "Are you ready?", the Vampire asked unabashedly.

Geralt turned red immediately and gritted his teeth gruffly. "What about the Katakan?"  
"Escaped, I fear," Regis explained in a rather sad voice.  
"I didn't know that lower Vampires could escape you", Geralt replied uncouthly.  
"Well, I also had no idea that you're into men..."  
"Shut up Regis", Geralt snorted insulted while stomping away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
>  **Next time:**  
>  Regis continues to talk extensively about his past and how his relationship with Valka is changing.  
>  And about an absolutely life-changing shave...
> 
> As a little treat there will be an artwork ^^  
>  (Drawn by a person who is really talented)
> 
> Thanks again for kudos. I appreciate feedback as much as anyone else.


	8. Once upon a time in Dillingen... Part 2 of 3

Regis snorted indignantly and tried to ignore the men who were riding behind him as they had done on their way to Toderas.  
Both Witchers had hardly spoken a word since their departure. Geralt was apparently still very embarrassed and avoided eye contact with his companions by concentrating on the always similar bushes at the side of the path and Veit stared holes in the air, absently with glassy eyes but distorted his face painfully every now and then. A behaviour that Regis could understand after the unpleasant accident.  
Despite Veit's vehement assertions that he was fine, he had insisted on at least being allowed to take a quick look at his back. To his surprise he could not see any injuries and even the bruise was, although it had been only a few minutes ago, as if it was already subsiding. Regis knew about the self-healing powers and the accelerated regeneration of the Witchers, but Veit seemed to be even more special than Geralt in this matter.  
Since he couldn't raise any medical objections against their immediate departure, Veit pulled a fresh shirt out of his saddlebags and changed his clothes. The tattered jacket of his armour had to serve him further until he could get a replacement. And finally, frustrated, they set off again in the direction of Lindenvale.

The day had progressed so far that even under the best of conditions they could only manage half the distance by nightfall, but none of them felt the need to stay in Toderas longer than absolutely necessary.  
In the meantime, more hours had passed and the interplay of colours in the torn rain clouds announced the imminent sunset. Regis knew that very soon they would have to look for a place to sleep.  
Apparently, the passing hour tore the Witchers from their thoughts as well, for he had felt the eyes of the two men lying on his back for some time. On top of that came the occasional soft rustling and clinking of their armour when they turned their heads to give each other a quick glance, only to fixate on him again immediately afterwards.

Regis snorted again. He didn't really know whether the situation was meant to annoy or amuse him. It was clear that the Witchers felt an urgent need to talk, but he was just as certain that the topic they wanted to raise was not their lack of knowledge about the Vampire threat. However urgent the matter was. He had no doubt that they were eager to hear the last part of his inglorious story, and now that an opportunity was within reach, he regretted having promised to reveal his past. He did not feel the slightest desire to anchor the already omnipresent painful memories even more intensely in his mind through detailed descriptions.  
A sharp clacking followed by a high whirring sound tore Regis out of his cloudy thoughts in surprise and immediately made him aware that his grace period would soon be over now.  
The bolt from Veit's crossbow was clearly audible at a distance with a muffled, smacking sound hitting a body and only moments later the air became heavy with the smell of warm animal blood. Deer, as Regis suspected. Since he knew what was about to follow, he did not wait for instructions, but simply brought his horse to a halt and dismounted. The Witchers followed his example, handed him the reins and then set out to collect their dinner.  
Unfortunately, the quick inspection of the surroundings only revealed the same dismal sight in every direction. Scattered crippled trees, thorny bushes and uneven grass. Regis disapprovingly frowned and set out to lead the horses to a spot where several trees were gathered. The meagre wind protection would have to be enough for them.

He directed the horses to a place with a little denser grass and some interesting herbs and left them to choose the juiciest stalks themselves. The sweet smell of blood wafting through the air clearly told him that the Witchers were already busy gutting and cutting up the prey. So, he decided to do his part for dinner and collect the wood for a fire.  
In fact, this task turned out to be surprisingly easy, as there were several fallen trunks from the local crippled trees in the immediate vicinity. He pulled two of the thicker trunks closer under the remaining trees, thus creating a makeshift seat for them, then he picked out what he thought was the driest of the remaining ones and brazenly beat the wood with his claws until he had a considerable amount of thicker logs. He carried them back under the trees and then set off in search of brushwood and dry leaves.

Regis had just finished piling up the firewood when the Witchers came towards him with their arms full of venison. He noticed that they had obviously limited themselves to the hind legs and the noblest parts of the back. Still a very respectable meal for three hungry men.  
They laid their prey on the grass and wiped their hands clean. Then Veit squatted down in front of the woodpile and pointed Regis to step aside a little. With a complicated movement of his fingers he created a small but constant stream of fire that made the logs glow and the kindling wood smoulder. When he finished the sign after almost a minute, greedy little flames were already flickering over the wood and making it crackle.  
"That should be just about ready to start with the meat," Veit explained contentedly and smiled at his companions. Regis nodded and reached for his bag. He rummaged concentrated in the chaos of herb bundles, bottles and jars until he had found what he was looking for. He smiled triumphantly as he uncovered a small bag of salt and a bag of dry thyme leaves. "Really Regis, without you some of my meals would have been pretty bland," Geralt smiled and took the spices. He squatted down on the floor next to the meat to rub it with salt and herbs. Regis reacted with a little laugh. "Well, I've always found it pleasant to know that one is needed." The Witchers joined in his laughter, but it wasn't long before the silence fell. Regis realized that he would now finally have no chance to buy a respite. Nevertheless, he played with the idea to first of all direct the topic to the Vampires, but since he didn't really expect success, he came to the conclusion that he could also just bite the bullet.

While Veit put a rack of twisted branches over the fire and Geralt was still busy rubbing the spices into the meat, he went back to his horse and took a bottle out of his saddlebag, uncorked it and took a generous sip. He waited for a moment until the burning subsided and then drank again. He relied on the fact that the consumption of strong alcohol at this rate would trigger the intoxication within a few minutes. Even in the case of a Vampire. And for this story, he would hardly be satisfied with just a slight intoxication.  
With the third sip, the gentle tingling in his fingertips already set in and he put the cork back into the bottle. Then he reached into his bag again and took out another bottle. With a feeling in his stomach, as if he was going to his own execution, he stepped back to the Witchers, who watched him with worried looks.  
Regis saw and above all smelled that the venison was already hanging over the flames and without a comment he threw the second bottle towards Geralt. The Witcher skillfully caught it and immediately tore out the plug. The necessity with which he drank made Regis almost laugh. Apparently, he was not the only one who suffered from this situation.

He sat down on one of the trunks and waited until Geralt had passed the bottle to Veit and both men had also taken a seat. Finally, he let his gaze wander to the last narrow strip of light in the west and searched for the right words before he resumed his story with a trembling voice.

**~**

"I already told you that Valka had returned to Dillingen the following spring and stayed for a few days. Apart from the fact that I was grateful for the presence of an initiated person, I learned to appreciate her more and more with every hour. It should not be surprising that we still had some... fear of contact, considering our history. Especially when it came to topics that were in any way connected to my shameful deeds or her reaction to them.  
But their ease in dealing with me in other ways was a relief.  
We spent every minute together except for a few hours a day. We laughed, told each other stories and walked across the blooming meadows of Brugge.

Unlike during her last visit, I immediately noticed the whispering and talking we were constantly causing, especially since Valka didn't miss any opportunity to tease me. And every time I was embarrassed and confused, but I never had the idea to question whether the feelings which were rumoured about us had a real background in us. Regis interrupted and drank from his moonshine again, before continuing with a slightly contemptuous snort: "Still, I wasn't so blinded not to notice that she was of great importance to me.

The months between our meetings were ... bearable. I was satisfied with my work, with my life, and had my addiction under control. But the joy I felt at her return clearly indicated that she was giving me a goal to continue. I did not have to look into the future and imagine that the rut would continue in this form for centuries. I could look ahead and look forward to the day when she would ride back into the city.

Of course, we arranged another meeting for the autumn, but when she rode out of town after only a few days together, I missed her as soon as she was out of sight. Regis waved the bottle and stared at the floor. He spoke so quietly that even the Witchers had trouble understanding him. "I think that when I looked at her then, I already realized that my feelings for her were not only gratitude and sympathy. But I was not ready to seal it with a name. Probably because I was haunted by the irrational and bitter fear that she was only acting friendly because of her bad conscience.  
I would not have admitted it to myself before, but the time in my prison still haunted me. Not the anger, but the despair and self-hatred. I woke up many nights in panic after lying in that sarcophagus in my dreams. Valka stood laughing above me with sword in hand, shouting that this was the only fate monsters deserve.

He moved through the air with one hand as if he wanted to wipe the memory away, took a deep breath and drank again before continuing to speak with heavy tongue.  
"Our next meeting turned out differently than we had planned. For instead of the usual arrival of winter, Valka rode into town just a few weeks after the beginning of autumn. The joy I felt when she stood in my practice with a smile on her lips was unimaginable.  
She didn't pass the chance to come and see me right after she had moved into a room in her usual tavern. However, I was not the reason for her early appearance. She told me that there were several simple Witcher contracts in the region and that she wanted to use the opportunity to earn some crowns until winter.

You can imagine that I was delighted to have her near me for a few months instead of just a few days.  
We started our contact seamlessly at the point where we had to end it in spring. Of course, our time together was limited by the fact that she conducted her monster hunts, but even with the more distant destinations, she rarely stayed away for more than two days. Now and then we also had to part because I was forced to do my own work, but all in all we spent every minute we could spare together again. Regis turned his head to the side and stared apathetically into the distance for a few moments, as if he could see directly into the past. Then he shakily ran his hand through his grey hair. "Perhaps nothing would have changed in our friendly routine had it not been for this one incident..."

**Early Autumn 1003, Brugge, Dillingen**

Laughing, Regis washed his hands in the bowl filled with water and alcohol, which stood in its usual place in his practice. From the corner of his eye he could see Valka sitting on the narrow cot. Her bright eyes shone, and she was happy to be able to tease him with another silly anecdote about the monster hunt.

"And you really want to make me believe that the Troll knew how to use these products?" he asked incredulously. She sat down cross-legged before bending over to him a little and assuring him with mischievously sparkling eyes: "Flawlessly. I don't know how he... - and I assure you it was a he - ...how he knew how to do it, but his eyelid line and lip colour was applied even more perfectly than I could ever do it myself." Again, Regis laughed and reached for a towel. He went over to the Witcher and while he was drying his fingers, he bent over to look her straight in the eyes with a playfully serious look. "I think you are trying to hoax me."

Her remarkable grin widened a little more and she laid her head a little to one side to flirtatiously illuminate him through her dark lashes. "You know I would never dare to do such a thing." Her pretended innocence with which she used to defend herself made him smile again. For a second, they basked in each other's joy, then Regis noticed how her gaze moved to his mouth and her expression changed. He closed his mouth in horror when he realized that he was standing much too close to her and that he had not made the slightest effort to hide his fangs.

Uncertain about his next step, he just walked stiffly back to the table on the opposite wall, hoping he hadn't bothered her too much. As he filled a large petri dish with alcohol, he heard her get up from the cot. "Regis...?", she asked hesitantly.

With trembling fingers, he sorted his instruments into the bowl to disinfect them and above all to keep himself busy while he frantically thought about what he could do or say to ease the situation. But before he could act, he heard her coming closer to him and felt her gently touching his arm.

Uncertain, he followed the movement and turned to her. He expected to find again the sceptical expression she occasionally wore while they were still in the initial phase of getting to know each other. But to his surprise, there was nothing but a warm glow in her shining cat eyes, which he found almost frighteningly close to his face.  
He opened his mouth to say something, but since he couldn't think of anything clever to say, he closed it again immediately afterwards and instead he wobbled unsteadily back and forth.  
Slowly she raised one hand and laid it gently against his cheek. Her thumb stroked tenderly over his still stubbly, unshaved chin and the soft hair of his sideburns. "You don't need to hide from me. Never," she breathed to him.

When her gaze moved back to his lips and she leaned slightly towards him, he suddenly realized that he had completely misjudged the situation. His heart was beating wildly as they slowly approached.  
Immediately before their lips touched, the two drove apart in horror and stared at each other confused. Someone banged his fist loudly against the front door, then ran around the house and banged also against the door to the adjacent practice. " MISTER REGIS. MISTER REGIS ARE YOU THERE?", a man shouted breathlessly.

Astonished, Regis raised an eyebrow and ran hurriedly to the door. When he opened it, the man he recognised as a stable boy almost fell into his arms. But he managed to catch himself at the last moment and supported himself with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. His gaze glided from Regis to Valka and he gasped for breath to be able to speak. "Please, Mr. Regis. You... you must come with me... now. Both of you." Regis looked at Valka in astonishment, and she looked back at him confused. "What happened? Was anyone hurt?" he wanted to know. The man nodded, gasping. "Monsters, Sir. They are attacking."

Regis quickly turned on his own axis while searching for his bag. He finally found it leaning against a table leg. With two steps he was there and hung it over his shoulder. A glance at the Witcher showed him that she had already put her swords on her shoulders and was only tightening the straps. He nodded to the stable boy and followed him swiftly, when he immediately turned around and ran away towards the edge of town.

Valka tried to get some information from the man, about the kind of monsters, on the way, but he was far too breathless to be helpful.  
When they reached the edge of an orchard, they could already make out a group of excitedly talking people in the distance, gathered around a figure lying on the ground.  
They jumped over the low fence and ran towards the group. They had barely arrived when Regis immediately dropped to his knees and began to examine the woman on the ground. He quickly spotted some extensive burns on her arms, but she was breathing evenly, and the fluttering of her eyelids told him that she was already waking from her unconsciousness.

With skilled hands he cleaned her wounds from the green, caustic ooze that covered her. While doing so, he heard the anxious mayor talking to Valka, pointing again and again to a certain spot where the meadow merged with the surrounding forest. Regis did not look up, but he could hear the Witcher unsheathing one of her swords and walking carefully towards the spot.

After he had removed all remnants of the corrosive substance, the woman finally woke up and stared at him with eyes filled with fear. Regis smiled friendly and assured her several times that her injuries were not serious. She relaxed a little as he washed the wounds with a disinfectant extract of birch bark and carefully wrapped them in clean mull. Just as he stuck the last piece of the bandage and stretched out his hand to help his patient get back on her feet, Valka came running out of the forest frantically and with a worried expression on her face. She steered unerringly towards the mayor, but before she had reached him completely, she shouted in a loud voice: "Make sure that all people who live near the forest do not leave their houses. No one is allowed to enter the forest until I say otherwise. Do you understand?"  
Markus first opened his mouth as if to protest, but then he just nodded. He turned to the gathered farmers and shooed the distraught people wildly gesticulating home.

Regis left his patient in the care of another woman who took her to safety. Then he approached Valka, who was meanwhile crouching on the ground, and prepared her silver sword with a pungent smelling oil. "How bad is it?" he asked. She did not look up at him and continued to concentrate on her blade. "I found Endrega eggs."  
"And that means?" The Witcher re-corked the oil vial, rose and pushed the scabbard with one hand slightly away from her back to insert the sword in a flowing motion. "Eggs mean queens and queens mean a whole lot of workers and warriors." She pulled another vial filled with a golden potion from her belt and drank it quickly. Disgusted, she made a face and Regis noticed that after only a few moments her veins shimmered darkly through her pale skin.  
She nodded at the mayor who had come to them again. "As I said, Endregas. The critters are in the trees and can hardly be seen from the ground." The man turned pale. "But you can handle it, can't you, Ms. Valka?"

She smiled grimly at the man, but before she answered him, she turned to Regis. "Please go back and wait in the house. It will probably take a while. I'll come back for you later." Regis wanted to protest, but the Witcher silenced him with a serious look and a movement of her head towards the other man. "This is Witcher work. A doctor wouldn't be well advised." He understood her objection and finally nodded unhappily.  
"I should be able to deal with the problem. Please make sure that absolutely nobody approaches the trees," she now turned to the mayor again, who nodded eagerly.  
Regis was visibly worried when he touched the man's arm and asked him to go back into the city with him. The uneasy feeling in his stomach immediately became a tight knot when after a few steps, Valka shouted after them in an iron voice: "If I'm not back by sunset, burn down the forest completely and barricade yourself in the houses until the last tree is on fire."

**~**

Regis wandered restlessly through his living room. He had left Valka alone in the meadow a little more than two hours ago and then said goodbye to the mayor at the marketplace shortly afterwards. Before he had returned to his practice, he had considered returning to her despite her request and helping her to defeat the Insectoids. But the frightened faces of his neighbours, who sat at the windows and watched him and everything that moved, kept him from doing so. Valka wasn't wrong with her remark. He would only expose himself to the risk of being exposed by the humans.

The knowledge that the Witcher probably had to face countless monsters on her own, worried him deeply, but he had to trust that she could best judge herself whether she could master this problem. And her request to leave her alone had finally been quite clear.

Regis sighed unhappily and unconsciously put two fingers to his mouth when the moment came to his mind when they had almost kissed this morning.  
Which malicious whim of nature was it actually due to that this moment had to be ruined by monsters at all?

He lowered his hand again and stared sullenly out of the window. The last hours had passed tenaciously and he knew that he should find something to do to distract himself. But he had already cleaned his instruments in the morning and the tins and bottles with all kinds of herbs, extracts, essences and pills were filled to the brim. The practice and his house were tidy and clean, only the box with the additional Witcher's potions, which Valka couldn't carry around with her all the time, stood crooked on the big dining table.

Regis came to the table and opened the lid. The box was padded with straw and contained differently shaped small bottles filled with liquids in various colours. He took out one bottle and noticed that they were all completely unlabelled. His alchemical curiosity was awoken, and he opened the cap to smell the black liquid. The acrid smell almost immediately caused him nausea and he hastily put the bottle back and closed the lid again. Shaking his head and imagining that Valka was voluntarily consuming this stuff, he straightened the crate on the table and sadly realized that he still hadn't found an activity. His eyes fell on a pile of books, but he knew that he wouldn't certainly be able to concentrate on their contents. Then suddenly he remembered his experiment.

He walked through the living room, towards the stairs that led both up to his bedroom and down to the basement. He chose the way down. Arriving in his packed laboratory, he made his way through countless boxes of alchemical ingredients and knee-high stacks of books to reach the back wall where he had his retorts, the alembic and two large copper stills with matching coolers. He used one of them constantly to make the simple medicinal alcohol which he needed in huge quantities for his work. The other one, he used for a very special project.

A glance at the collection container revealed a satisfying amount of hooch. He took a small scoop and dipped it into the liquid. Tensely he sniffed at it and noticed with pleasure that he seemed to be getting closer to his goal. However, a sip from the cup made him grimace immediately afterwards and he dropped the scoop into the container. He took the feather and the closely written parchment that lay next to the still, crossed out the bottom line, just like the previous ones, and thought about the combinations he had not yet tried.

When he had finally decided on a new mixture and noted it down, he set about disposing of the stillage and filling the contents of the collecting vessel into a finely labelled bottle, which he then placed in a row with his previous failures. Then he filled fresh mash, mandrake root and a precisely weighed quantity of belladonna extract into the cleaned still. He provided the fire under the still, with fresh logs. Unfortunately, he found, to his chagrin, that he was now once again without any activity.

Back in his living room, Regis wanted to continue his annoying patrol cross the room when loud voices lured him to the window. He went to the window and a glance outside made him gasp with relief.

Valka stood in the middle of the square and was surrounded by a crowd of upset people, who were all confusedly urging her with their questions. Regis noticed that she ignored the people completely and instead hurriedly pulled the bucket out of the well. He watched in confusion as she lifted the bucket and emptied it just above her head. When she immediately threw it back into the well to draw water again, he suddenly realized in shock that she was completely covered with the green slime that the farmer's wife had also injured. Cursing, he ran to the door and rushed towards the Witcher. He showed no consideration for the other people and simply pushed them roughly out of his way. Arriving in front of her, Regis waited until she had emptied the second bucket over her with trembling fingers, then he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away towards his practice.

Valka protested at first, but after a moment she realized who was pulling at her and allowed it to happen. They hadn't quite reached the halfway point when her legs suddenly bent away, and the crowd simultaneously cried out in horror. Regis reacted immediately, put one arm around her shoulder and reached for her legs. He lifted her up effortlessly.

Hastily he ran back to his practice, pushed the door open with his shoulder and then ran through the room into a small adjoining chamber, which actually already belonged to his private house.

He put the Witcher in the large tub and turned the tap on to the heated copper barrel. During his earlier encounter with the corrosive substance he had noticed that it was quite sticky. While the water was pouring in, he hurriedly started looking for a piece of soap.

When he turned back to Valka, he saw her frantically taking off her coat and throwing it lovelessly on the floor of the bathroom. After the first boot had followed the coat, he handed her the soap and examined her face anxiously. Her whole skin was red and irritated, but he was even more worried about the veins that were even more prominent. He picked up her coat and searched in her pockets for her potions, while she tried to take off her second boot with one hand and spread the soap over her face and neck with the other. "Have you no more potions?" he asked when he couldn't find any. Valka shook her head while she rubbed her arms. "One of those creatures caught me with its tail and threw me straight into one of those damn cocoons. All the bottles I had on me broke.

"What about the box?" he suggested. She thought quickly and then nodded. "White honey and swallow." He shrugged his shoulders questioningly. "Bellied bottle with red potion and cylindrical bottle with milk-white potion." He nodded and ran into the parlour to get the bottles.

He rummaged in the box for a moment, and when he found the desired potions and wanted to return to the bathroom, he noticed that a number of people were pressing their noses against the window pane from the outside. Among them was the mayor of Dillingen.

Regis cursed quietly but went to the door and ripped it open. "Don't worry, she's a bit shaken up, but she'll recover." He didn't wait for someone to reply but shut the door again and went back to Valka.

He had to climb over her clothes scattered on the floor to hand her the bottles. She smiled gratefully at him and quickly emptied the first bottle with the white potion. Immediately afterwards she sighed in relief, leaned against the wall of the tub with her eyes closed and the tension visibly dropped away from her. Regis watched in amazement as the dark shadows under her eyes, along with the protruding veins, simply disappeared without a trace. Then she slowly pulled the cork out of the second bottle and drank it too.

He was filled with relief when he realized that his bold statement to the worried people was absolutely correct. She looked much better again, and he noticed that the burns were not very prominent. In some places the redness already subsided, probably due to the potions, and her skin looked as pale as before. Despite his lack of experience with the healing processes of Witchers, Regis estimated that she should have recovered in no time. He let his gaze wander further over the woman, who was still enjoying the warm water with her eyes closed, when he suddenly realized that she was only wearing her underwear. The light-coloured linen had become almost transparent in the water and revealed more than it concealed.

Embarrassed, Regis turned around on his heel. "If you don't need anything more, I'll leave you alone now, towels are in the chest," he said with a halting voice and a bright red head. Valka smiled in the background. "I have everything I need for now. Thanks a lot, Regis." He nodded stiffly and then left the room with strangely wobbly knees.

In the parlour, Regis stopped lost in the middle of the room and felt as awkward as he had felt a few minutes before. He let his gaze glide through the room, got stuck on the books again and decided to read for a moment until Valka would have finished her bath.

He reached for the top book, a work on the art of alcohol distillation, and began to browse through it. After a few minutes he had finished the first chapter, closed the book again and threw it back on the pile. He hadn't picked up a word of what was in the book and always turned the page mechanically after a few moments. The sight that the Witcher had offered him stirred him up so much that even as he stared at the pages, he couldn't think of anything else.

Sighing, he stroked his face with one hand. When he touched his chin, he realized that he still hadn't shaved. He got up out of the armchair again and went back to his practice to get his mind off things with a useful activity.

He gathered up his shaving tools, poured some hot water into a small bowl and routinely whipped up the soap and then, with brisk movements of the brush, spread the lather evenly on his chin. From the outset, he left out the part of his cheeks that he wanted to spare from the blade. While he waited for the soap to soften the hairs and make them easier to remove, he sharpened his razor thoroughly. When he was satisfied with the result, he threw a small cloth over his arm and laid his head back a little bit. With hurried single movements he first cleaned the contours of his sideburns and wiped the blade clean on the cloth again and again in between. As long as he did this, he followed his habit of walking around the house. An activity which under normal circumstances wouldn't be advisable to anyone, but since he couldn't benefit from a mirror and even stumbling with the blade in his hand wouldn't cause him any significant damage, he did not mind.

By the time he arrived in the parlour, his shave had progressed so far that he could get to the neck.  
He placed the blade below his throat and ...froze.

Valka, wrapped only in a large towel, leaned against the carved wooden banister of the stairs and watched him with her mouth slightly open. Her damp hair fell open and wildly over her shoulders, and her eyes shone, probably even more than usual.

Regis felt the sharp blade carving his skin as he swallowed, and immediately afterwards the gentle tickle that announced immediate healing. Unable to move or say anything, he stopped as if petrified and watched the Witcher come towards him with smooth movements, like a feline predator.

He saw himself unable to defend himself as she, without breaking eye contact, took the razor out of his hand and with gentle pressure on his chest, pushed him backwards onto a chair. Startled, he gasped as she sat astride him on his lap with her legs spread and pressed his chin up with the side of her index finger. He narrowed his eyes as she placed the blade against his neck and scraped off his hair in a flowing movement.

While she swabbed the foam and reattached the blade, he tried not to think about the fact that, due to her posture, her towel had slipped up to her hips and her unclothed femininity was separated from his growing erection only by the thin fabric of his trousers.

Regis trembled with excitement as she continued his shave almost unbearably slowly. With every scratchy draw of the blade, she pressed her body more and more against his.

When she finally put the blade aside, loosened the edges of the cloth that had been folded over in front of her chest and pulled it away from her naked body to free his cheeks from the soap residue, he could no longer suppress a soft moan.

He grabbed the cloth and tore it from her fingers, only to throw it into a corner of the room in a high curve immediately afterwards. Then he grabbed her bare thighs and pulled her even closer to him. It was almost painful, so violently they pressed their lips together. They kissed each other hungrily. Her fingers clenched in his hair more and more fierce as her knees pressed tightly against his waist.

He parted from her lips and wandered along her chin and slender neck, spreading feathery kisses across them.  
When he finally reached her collarbone, she bent back moaning and he took the opportunity to take one of her erect nipples in his mouth and teasingly play around with his tongue. The moisture of her arousal had already penetrated his trousers and now he turned his attention to her lower body. He squeezed her buttocks and let his fingers wander over the firm muscles of her outer thighs to the inner sides. Valka moaned again and flinched violently as he let his hand go between her legs and caressed her skillfully. He moved his mouth back to her neck, leaving wet traces on it as he kissed her and gently sucked her skin. Her sweet aroma of excitement, caramel and sunlight made him dizzy.

He took another deep breath as she quivered moaning under the circular motion of his fingers. Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness he noticed that her blood smelled strangely bitter, but before he could get closer to the thought, Valka's hands suddenly moved to his belt and she unzipped his pants with trembling fingers. Shaken, Regis hissed as she grabbed his cock and freed him from the cloth. She stroked tenderly along his hard length and circled her finger over the sensitive tip.

Immediately she took his mouth again with hungry kisses. He felt her support one foot on the ground and rise from his lap. She grabbed his cock again with her hand and then sat down on it in a single flowing movement.

Regis moaned for a long time and stars flashed before his eyes as he entered her and felt her warm, silky flesh clasp him tightly.

Valka put her feet on the crossbars of the chair legs and began to ride him at an ever-increasing pace.  
With every movement her breath became more intense and they both moaned into the increasingly sloppy kisses. It wasn't long before Regis could feel her abdominal muscles tense up fluttering, and when she came screaming immediately afterwards and the muscles of her abdomen contracted in a pulsating manner, he could no longer hold back and also reached his climax.

Valka laid her head on his shoulder and he embraced her with his arms while they let their orgasm fade away.  
After a few minutes Valka lifted her head again and looked him straight in the eyes with a beaming smile. Regis returned the smile but turned his head to the side in embarrassment. "That was the most comfortable shave of my life." Valka laughed loudly and stood up from him carefully. When she stood naked in front of him, she bent over again to kiss him one more time. "I'm at your service at any time," she said, as their lips parted again. "You know I have to shave every day, don't you?" Regis asked with a smile. She grinned broadly at him as she bent down for the towel and wrapped herself in it again. "Oh, I really hope so."

****

Another small part of a lovely **_Artwork made by Vince_  
**(Made especially for me.)  
My precious~

Admire other great works of him.  
[DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/vincent-a-silence) / [ArtStation](https://www.artstation.com/vincent_silence) / [Animexx](https://www.animexx.de/fanart/zeichner/341500/)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> Seriously, guys, a little feedback would be nice sometime


	9. Once upon a time in Dillingen… Part 3 of 3

**Early Autumn 1003 – Brugge, Dillingen**

Regis fought desperately to regain control of his facial muscles.  
Whenever he tried to put on his usual neutral expression, which gave him the necessary professionalism while hiding his treacherous teeth, another detail of their previous activities came to his mind and he grinned helplessly all over his face instead.  
He felt remarkably euphoric, not only because it was the first time in decades that he had been with a woman, but also because of Valka's implied promise that it wouldn't be the last time.  
Laughing, he shook his head when he thought about the fact that until a few hours ago he lived with the fear that she was only seeking his company because of her pangs of conscience. And that she had no serious interest in his person.

The clanging sound of bare feet directed his attention to the other side of the room. He watched Valka descend the stairs, trying to tie her long hair in a knot. Apart from the sound of her bare feet, she made not a single noise. He smiled as he remembered how she made almost every step creak the first time she went down the stairs, jerking with every step.

The tender tickle in his stomach that he had felt in her presence for some time was now unmistakably transformed into a huge swarm of pushy pink butterflies.  
Never had the Witcher looked more beguiling to him than at this very moment, as she came towards him, with tangled hair and dressed only with one of his plain shirts.  
Regis jumped up from his chair to meet her and take her into his arms again.

As he passed the dining table, a detail casually caught his eye, causing him to stop. On the table, next to the potion box, lay a single empty vial. The shape of the vial and the still noticeable pungent smell of its contents told him that it was the special potion he had only recently set eyes on. Astonished, he approached and took the vial in his hand. "You took another potion?", he asked confusedly.

Since he didn't get an answer from her, he turned to her and the euphoria that had been buzzing in his stomach until that moment suddenly turned into a dull nausea.  
There was no trace of the tender smile on her face, instead she looked at him seriously and with clenched teeth.  
"What does this potion do?" he asked soundlessly. The way her jaw muscles came out as she pressed her lips together gave him the answer, before she did.  
"It's used for protection against Vampires. We call it Black Blood. It makes our blood inedible... even toxic to most Vampire races."

Disbelieving, Regis dropped the vial and turned away harried. His high spirits had now completely subsided and instead his thoughts circled wildly as he compulsively tried to handle this information.

"Regis...?" Valka came a step closer, but he raised his hand to keep her at a distance. "If you trust me so little, what was that all about? Was that some test to gauge my honesty?" He looked at her again and saw that her face was as white as chalk. She didn't move while he looked at her head to toe evaluating. And when his eyes finally fell back on her cat's eyes, he frustrated let his shoulders droop. He raised his hands a little and looked at his short, sharp fingernails, which extended into long, dangerously glittering claws as he abandoned his human appearance.  
"How foolish of me to think a Witcher could obtain true feelings for a Vampire."

Regis flinched when Valka smashed her fist on the tabletop. "Why?" she screamed angrily at him. "Why do you think so poorly of yourself?"  
Now it was his turn to freeze and look at her in confusion. "Oh, I know the accusation was directed at me, but be honest, Regis. You don't really think I'd have slept with you if I thought you'd bite me. ...or you'd even disgust me. Do you really think I'd be so deceitful and calculating?"  
He cringed at her every word. "It's not me who think you're the monster. You do," she paused to catch her breath in anger. "I took the potion to make it easier for you.  
Only a week ago you ran into the forest in panic for fear you wouldn't be able to control your bloodlust. Only because you wrapped a bandage around that brat's skinned knee. And then you wonder why I made my blood inedible, hoping that you'll be able to press your nose to my pulse while you fuck me. And honestly, I don't give a shit if you're human, like this," she pointed at him, "or look like a fucking bat. She interrupted again and pressed her fist to her forehead.

When she stepped right in front of him and looked up at him again, Regis noticed the tears in her eyes with horror. "I don't care what you are. What matters to me is who you are. And you are loving, warm-hearted, selfless, intelligent and ... such a fucking donkey. You're wasting your time being ashamed of the past." Again, she paused to calm down.  
"Just a moment ago, you sat there smiling like an idiot. But as soon as a tiny uncertainty arises, you suppress everything positive and immediately assume the worst. You hate yourself so much for what you've done, you think everybody does." Valka laughed without joy. "It's really remarkable, that a man as intelligent as you are, can forget in the blink of an eye that he is surrounded by people who appreciate him. Who want him with them."

Regis tried to resist her gaze while he replied bitterly: "None of these people would accept me if they knew what I am or what I have done."  
Valka took a deep breath in and out before calmly answering, "These people don't know anything about Vampires, except that they are dangerous. That is ignorance, not inconsistency. Yes, they think you are human, but history has shown that no species is as willing to show contempt for each other as humans are. So, if it's not their erroneous assumption, what else could it be but your personality winning their affection? They judge you by what they see in you now and how they experience you."

Regis could no longer stand her gaze and looked away in shame. "And yet I remain a monster."  
"You remain a Vampire. A Vampire who has had troubles in the past but is now an irreproachable member of society. That is your identity and you shouldn't give it up.  
I deeply regret that you will always be forced to hide your true nature among humans and elves, but you must stop thinking that this is the problem. Don't let the voices of people who think everyone who is different is fundamentally bad, get to you. They just don't know any better. Focus on those who value you because you are simply you."

Regis snorted a little contemptuously. "And what about those who not only know who I am, but who I was?"  
Like this morning, Valka put her hand on his cheek and stroked him lovingly. "I am a Witcher. We don't play with our prey, Regis. If I thought you were a threat, you would have felt my sword at your throat, not the razor." She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss, without bothering at the fangs. "I know who you were, but more importantly, I know who you are now.  
Regis, I'm not here to watch you and I'm certainly not taking the potion because I don't trust you. I'm doing it because I fucking love you."

**~**

Regis stroked Valka's naked back tenderly and enjoyed her warmth and closeness. He was still a little ashamed of his outburst, but the words with which the woman gave him a piece of her own mind still echoed and made him bubble with joy again.  
Despite all adversities and compromises he had made friends with his life in Dillingen, even his still strong craving for blood did not change the fact that he was quite content. His life was not perfect, but it was okay, and for someone with his past, probably the best one could hope for. At least that's what he thought until a few hours ago.  
But now he was lying here with this woman who had put her head on his shoulder and lovingly crawled her fingers through his chest hair and he was happy. As happy as he had not been since the disastrous failure of his last relationship.  
Regis bent over and pressed a gentle kiss on Valka's head.

"What are you thinking about?" she murmured sleepily to his chest. "Tomorrow is a full moon. That means I could change into a bat and you wanted to..." Valka jumped up and stared at him in astonishment.  
Regis had to press his lips together by her reaction to stop himself from laughing. After a few moments she realized that he was only joking and relaxed again. "Don't scare me like that," she muttered poutingly, but with a treacherous twitching of the corners of her mouth.

He smiled amusedly and then graciously changed the subject. "I thought about the irony of falling in love with the woman who decapitated me." Valka put her head back on his shoulder. "Shall we just forget that this happened?" Regis shook his head. "Absolutely not. If it hadn't happened, I might never have come to my senses. And I certainly wouldn't be in bed with this charming Witcher right now."  
"Well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right." She stretched her neck, slipped her hands to both sides of his head and kissed him tenderly.

After a while, Valka retreated. She smiled at him and then pressed a fleeting kiss on the tip of his nose before she lay on her back with a sigh, next to him. "It is getting late. I must get back to the tavern." Regis leaned on one forearm to get a better look at her. "I had hoped that from now on you would spend your nights at my place." As he spoke, he stroked his fingers from her collarbones, between her breasts, to her navel, which he gently circled, giving her a pleasant shiver.  
"If you ask me this way..." she purred blissfully. After a short pause she added: "But I still have to go back to the tavern. My bags are still there. Since my armour should have disintegrated almost completely by now, I need my replacement. After all, I can't go hunting again tomorrow wearing nothing but one of your shirts.

Regis straightened up a little further in surprise. "You want to go back into the forest?" he asked anxiously. "I have to. I think I've killed all the crawling creatures, but I can't let people go back into the forest in good conscience until I'm sure. She turned to the side and swung her legs out of bed. "Don't worry, it'll be a piece of cake compared to what happened today." Regis rushed forward before she could get up from the bed completely, grabbed her around the waist with one arm and pulled her back to himself. "You're staying here," he decided, and pressed a fleeting kiss on her ear. "I'll get your things. They'll gossip anyway, we don't have to give the people any more whispering, because you're running around town half-naked to bring your belongings to my house." Valka turned around and watched him get out of bed and put on his pants. "And what am I doing in the meantime?" He grinned at her while he fastened his belt. "You relax and I expect to find you exactly as I left you."  
"In your bed?" she asked sceptically.  
"Naked," he replied. "Where in the house? I couldn't care less."

~

Regis hummed softly to himself as he walked through the streets of Dillingen. Over his shoulder hung the large leather saddlebags, in one hand he held a package of cold roast meat and wine for their dinner and in the other an especially beautifully grown sunflower. He had been on the road a little longer than he had originally planned, but after he was able to convince the innkeeper that Valka had to spend the night with him because of her state of health, he did not want to ruin the successful charade by ordering a romantic meal from her. He had rather accepted the detour via another tavern in order to enjoy his peace a little longer. On his way he had passed a small field of sunflowers and stopped briefly to admire their beauty. After a while, he had picked the most beautiful of them to bring it to Valka.

When his house came into view again, he quickened his steps and hurried to open the door. In the living room, he put the bags over the back of a chair and put dinner on the table. Only the flower was still in his hand. "Valka?", he asked towards the stairs.  
When he received no answer, he tilted his head in surprise and listened. A moment later he grinned when he could make out small noises and followed them silently into the cellar. Without making himself noticed, he crept into his laboratory and leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed. "Found something interesting," he asked and watched amusedly as Valka flinched in surprise. "Damn Vampire," she cursed with a smile. "I don't like how you sneak up on me like that."

Her eyes fell on the sunflower. "Is that for me?" Regis nodded and stepped closer to present the flower to her with an elegant bow. She accepted it joyfully and made a curtsy, then wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him.  
When they parted again, she pointed to the right still with a movement of her head and asked, "Is this what I think it is?"  
Regis sighed a bit sullenly. "Not quite yet, but I hope it will be soon." He pointed to the parchment and Valka took it in her hand to look at it. "You've tried all these combinations? Incredible."

He nodded with a smile and pointed to the bottles lined up on the wall. "Here are the results. A truly remarkable study to show all the nuances of "disgusting" in all its complexity. From "unbearable" to "you can take a sip."  
Valka laughed at this remark but kept her eyes on his list. After a while she asked, astonished, "You really put deadly nightshade in it?" He nodded. "That's right, belladonna. I noticed that the spirit was very soft, but there was no wood flavour in it. So, barrel storage couldn’t be the reason. I suspect that one uses the anaesthetic effect of a plant. And except for belladonna, as you can see, I've tried just about everything I can get my hands on here."  
Valka shook his head in disbelief. "Isn't that a little dangerous? It wouldn't matter to you and me, but this stuff was drunk by normal people."  
He waved. "The dose is no problem. In this experiment, I only added half a quart of belladonna to a pound of mash. And, of course, the mandrake. It was five ounces."  
She knitted her brows. "And where did you get the mandrake?" "I found them right next to the remains of the sarcophagus you put me in," he said, rubbing himself embarrassed across his chin. "It took me a while to figure out how to treat and store the roots."  
Valka got big eyes and stared at him silently for a moment, but then she suddenly became mischievous and said: "I am very curious to see how it turns out."  
"Well, I hope it's the right combination, because then I'll have something to lure you back here again and again."

Valka put the parchment back on the table and leaned against him again. "You are reason enough for me to keep coming back." When their lips met for a kiss, a loud growl suddenly broke the silence and Valka embarrassedly turned her head to the side. Regis on the other hand laughed. "I've bought dinner." She immediately turned her head back to him and looked at him in a fake indignation. "You wanted me to wait for you naked and now all you want to eat is dinner?" Regis laughed again and bent down to grab her legs and lift her up. "If you promise me not to starve in the meantime, we can take a little detour via the bedroom on the way to the table."

♦

Geralt glanced up when Regis dropped the empty bottle and ran a hand over his face. His friend's gaze was alcohol-dimmed, sad and so rigidly fixed on the floor that he could only guess, he deliberately avoided eye contact. Astonished, Geralt shook himself and used the check of the cooking point of their meal as an opportunity to reflect in peace on Regis' story.  
Until now, it wasn't the slightest bit clear to him why the Witcher and the Vampire hadn't lived happily together for centuries. The big bang was obvious still to come, and from the way Regis appeared at the moment, it might even be imminent.

Geralt sat back on the trunk and looked at Veit, who stared at the Vampire with big eyes. He took a deep breath and turned back to Regis, who shook his head constantly with one hand over his mouth.  
"You were very happy, weren't you?" he asked cautiously.  
Regis slowly raised his head and looked at him. "You have no idea how much."

Geralt wanted to continue asking, but his friend's sadness made his voice stop.  
But even without being asked, Regis continued after a while on his own.  
"The following weeks were fantastic. Valka took some smaller jobs nearby, but the rest of the time until winter she stayed with me.  
When winter finally came, we separated, although both of us were very reluctant to do so, and she returned to the fortress until the following spring. But the winter was short and the next year we happily embraced each other again. She stayed in Dillingen longer than she originally intended. We simply didn't want to part.  
You can probably imagine that by now no citizen believed that our relationship was still platonic and the mayor of Dillingen approached me. He did not mince his words and although he thought very highly of me, he clearly showed that he was quite displeased.  
Neither he nor anybody else bothered about our relationship in general, it was just quite unseemly at that time to live together as an unmarried couple. He made it very clear that he would like it best if we got married."

Regis snorted and shook his head again. "What a thought. A Vampire and a Witcher getting married." He interrupted again and let Veit give him the second bottle to drink something else. "But Markus gave me an idea. When it was almost summer and Valka was forced to leave, I asked her if she would like to stay with me after her return in winter instead of moving to the fortress as usual.  
To my delight, she accepted immediately. So, I spent a summer full of anticipation for the woman I loved and who would soon be with me again for several months.”

“But then autumn came and Valka was late. Every day I became more and more restless and worried. I had already sent my birds after her, but a few days later I learned to my relief that this hadn't been necessary. A contract had delayed her and some days later she arrived in Dillingen after all. To my chagrin, however, this meant that she hadn't yet had the opportunity to travel to the fortress beforehand to settle her affairs, as originally planned.  
As there was no sign of snow yet, we arranged that she would make up for it now, but would return before the onset of winter.”  
Regis sighed softly, but for Geralt it sounded more like a sob.

"The time when Valka wasn't with me, I often spent with the company of my neighbours, but also with some friendly creatures from the forest and the adjacent elf ruins. In the course of the last two years I had made some acquaintances and they were a refreshing change from the humans.  
Valka knew about them, of course, and she had actually made me aware of some of them in the first place.  
They were peaceful creatures and if at all they had to suffer under the humans and not the other way around.  
Valka had never expressed any reservations about this, as long as there was no danger for the inhabitants of Dillingen. So, I didn't think about any problems with a being who came to see me on its own.”  
Regis' voice failed.

When he finally found words again, he spoke so softly that he could hardly be heard over the crackling of the fire.  
"I didn't heard her when she came back. In fact, I didn't even hear her when she came up the stairs..."

"WOULD IT HAVE MADE BETTER IF YOU HAD HEARD HER? WOULD YOU HAVE PREFERRED TO CHEAT AT HER SECRETLY?", Veit suddenly interrupted him loudly and deeply bitter.  
Geralt stared at the other Witcher in shock. _Did he know what the Vampire was getting to?_ A look at Regis seemed to confirm that.  
He sat sunk down on the dead trunk, his face buried in his hands and he shook his head again incessantly.

 _He must have relapsed again. Drank blood again_ , Geralt thought. _But how does Veit know. I wonder if Valka told him already.  
_ He didn't get the chance to ask for it, because Veit jumped up and ran up and down with fierce steps while staring at Regis furiously.

"Come on, say it. Tell Geralt what you did to her."  
Regis did not react. He seemed to be more concerned with keeping his composure than finding words.

"No? Are you too ashamed of yourself? That's what you do well", Veit sneered. "But don't worry, I want to tell Geralt." He turned to him and looked down at him.  
"Your noble friend not only asked Valka to stay for the winter. He actually asked her to stay FOREVER. To give up her whole life so far, the only life she knew, to stay with him.  
She had to go back to the fortress before the onset of winter and she promised to return to him before the snow would make the paths impassable. And she promised to have made a decision by the time she returned. Will she stay for the winter or will she stay forever? And you know what, Geralt? She kept her promise.  
She traveled to the fortress, settled her affairs, then she returned to him." Veit grimaced and his voice grew louder. "She returned to him, only to catch him as soon as she arrived, HOW HE FUCKS A GOD-DAMNED SUCCUBUS!"

Geralt's head was buzzing. He tried hard to process the information, but he couldn't fixate on any thought at first. Overstrained, he looked back and forth between Veit and Regis.  
The Witcher stared angrily down at the Vampire again, but didn't say a word anymore. The sight of Regis then made the confusion of Geralt fall away and made room for horror instead. He couldn't see the man's face, but slumped together, his shoulders trembling, he just looked terribly helpless and miserable. Geralt became queasy. _Was he crying_?

Only a moment later Regis decided to look up and Geralt was relieved to see that his face was full of sadness but dry. His voice trembled even more than in the previous minutes. "I never knew... how she had decided," said Regis quietly and full of regret.

Veit's gaze suddenly became soft and he visibly relaxed. After a deep breath he said in a softer voice: "She loved you, you idiot. She would have given up everything for you."

**~**

Veit watched Regis over the campfire. He sat away from it and obviously deliberately kept himself half in the shade. His actually conspicuous upright posture had still given way to his drooping shoulders and he stared thoughtlessly at the mossy ground in front of his feet.

If the Vampire noticed the stare of the dark-haired Witcher, he didn't show it. Veit rose from his place beside Geralt and slowly walked around the bonfire towards Regis. He didn't ask for permission, but simply sat down next to the man on the fallen tree and continued his observation unabashedly.  
There was no doubt that the Vampire was extremely depressed.

For a moment he thought about how he wanted to ask his question, but then he simply chose the direct way. "Why? You told her you loved her."  
Regis flinched, but raised his head to look at the Witcher. "I LOVED HER."  
"Then why the Succubus?" Regis looked down again. "The Succubus meant nothing to me, except the opportunity for companionship far from humans."  
Veit's gaze darkened again. "You had sex with her."  
"We're talking about a Succubus," Regis now replied more forcefully. "What would you do with one? Have a political debate, maybe? She would have left after twenty minutes, bored.”

“I certainly didn't mean to hurt Valka. As ridiculous as it may sound, I didn't think that Valka could feel betrayed. It was only when I saw her stunned face ... before she left me, that I realized what I was doing to her." He shook his head sadly again.  
"I carelessly threw away the best thing that ever happened to me. My life is an impressive string of remarkably bad decisions, and whenever I make a meaningful one, it doesn't take long to ruin everything."  
He sighed softly. "I suppose this is the punishment I deserve for my crimes."

"If you had the chance, would you do it differently?", the Witcher asked and Regis laughed bitterly. "My dear Veit, if I had the chance to undo probably the worst mistake of my life, I would immediately behead and lock myself in a sarcophagus for another fifty years."

Unexpectedly Veit smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm glad to hear that."  
Regis returned his gaze thoughtfully, but didn't manage to smile himself. After a short pause he asked: "She's your mother, isn't she?"

Veit ignored the surprised gasp of Geralt and nodded at the Vampire silently.  
"So she has found someone more worthy of her."  
Veit sighed softly and shook his head. "Not really."  
Regis looked at him with his head tilted. "What do you mean?"  
Veit sighed again. "Do you really want to do this to yourself?" Regis nodded affirmatively.

"Very well. I don't have to tell you that she was deeply hurt after your last encounter. Hurt... and angry. She immediately returned to the fortress and... and there... ...there's just no way to put it any nicer. In her frustration, she got laid by every Witcher that wanted her.

Female Witchers are rare and there are no other women in the fortresses. You can probably imagine that with the prospect of a whole winter without female company, some Witchers were very interested to take the chance.  
When her anger eased and only sorrow remained, the next problem came up. Her behaviour had consequences, ...in the form of an unwanted pregnancy. The biggest difficulty was that there were a dozen potential fathers and no clue which of them was the real one.”

“This uncertainty triggered enormous tensions. From that time on, there were constant arguments. The Witchers fought among themselves, and they hated Valka. Only a few months after my birth in the summer, she was clearly told to leave the fortress.  
So, she travelled around with me and took on any assignment she could handle with a baby. At times she even worked as a laundress or... did whatever was necessary to at least feed me.  
...Winters were the worst. She was no longer welcome in the fortress, so she had to fend for herself. We lived mostly in some dilapidated huts and had nothing but bark soup and rat meat."

Regis remained silent for a moment, then said, "I'm very sorry to hear that." And after another pause, "Have you ever discovered who your father is?"  
Veit nodded, lost in thought. "Yes, yes, as a matter of fact I did. When I was about five years old, I began to change. Before that, I was clearly my mother's child, but then I developed so many of my father's characteristics that Valka had no doubt about his identity. With this knowledge, we could return to the fortress. There were still some tensions, but Valka's presence was accepted again after my origin was clarified. In the course of time she regained her prestige and it became more pleasant for her again.  
And for me, this meant that I was trained as a Witcher. Mother wasn’t very happy about it, but she did not know any other life. With my pedigree, the trail of the grasses wasn't a real risk either, you could probably call it a formality.”

"And your father?" Regis asked cautiously. Veit smiled briefly. "I never met him. When mother wanted to bring me to him, she noticed that he probably disappeared shortly after she was driven out of the fortress and nobody knew anything about his whereabouts. Later they said, he was dead." He shrugged. "I hardly ever worried about him. "All I cared about was my mother."

"You are over two hundred and seventy years old?", Geralt's sceptical voice unexpectedly sounded over the fire. Veit raised his head to be able to grin at the Witcher over the flames.  
"Well, you shouldn't be so surprised. My mother is over four hundred years old and most people think she is barely sixteen... ...and a lad." His grin died away when he noticed that Geralt didn't return his friendly expression.

"Geralt?", Veit asked a little worried. "You lied," Geralt replied in an angry voice and made Veit wince. "At least be honest now. ...Why were you really in Toussaint?"  
The dark-haired Witcher sighed and stroked his face. "You're right, of course." He pointed at Regis with one hand. "I was looking for him."

Astonished, Regis straightened his back. "And which circumstances do I owe your interest?"  
Veit reached for the end of his braid and thoughtfully let it slip through his fingers. "Valka, of course." He gave the Vampire a penetrating look. "I've never given much thought to my mother's past. Like most children, I simply assumed she was content without really looking at her life with any sense. At least I did until a few years ago."  
He took a break and looked at Geralt. "Valka and I decided rather accidentally to take a detour via Novigrad. We were short of money and had to deal with the cheapest accommodation. A rather ailing brothel, which was run by one of the underworld bosses. In the evening we listened to the theatrical words of Dandelion. The man was so blottoed that he spoke about almost every detail of his life, unashamedly. I also seriously doubt that he could remember any of it the next morning. At least he forgot me and Valka."  
Veit laughed briefly at the memory of it, but then his face became serious. "He told an incredible story about a white-haired Witcher and his search for his foster daughter. With every minute his story became more and more outrageous, until he even claimed that a Vampire had joined the group and sacrificed his life spectacularly in flames to save the Witcher."

"I didn't believe a single word of it until Dandelion spoke the Vampire's name." Veit looked at Regis sadly. "It was the first time I saw my mother cry."

He continued hesitantly: "That night she told me about you and the unfortunate end you had taken. ...It saddened me to realize how unhappy my mother still was and how much you apparently meant to her, but since it was said that you were dead I had no chance to do anything about it. At least I didn't until I overheard your name from a traveling salesman a little over two years ago. He told me that a barber-surgeon in Dillingen was practicing under that name.”  
Veit made a face. "Without thinking, I immediately set off for Dillingen. Once there, it took me three days to find someone who knew the name. And when the time finally came, I had to learn, to my sorrow, that the barber-surgeon was already out of town and nobody knew anything about his whereabouts. At least I had the hope that it could really be you and that you were still alive. During the next two years I thought about you from time to time and finally decided to follow the only lead I had left. Geralt of Rivia."

Embarrassed, Veit looked up. "I'm sorry that I fooled you, but I assure you that I had no bad intentions. I soon realized that you also had no idea where Regis was and basically gave up hope of finding him. It was just my wish to learn from him why he hurt my mother so deeply.  
What I would do with this knowledge? I never thought about until today. Probably I hoped to find something that would help Valka to finally leave him completely behind. But after that hope faded, I confined myself to enjoying your hospitality, your friendship."  
He threw his braid over his shoulder, folded his hands and put his fingertips to his lips. "I beg you to believe me, I had no intention of deceiving you."

Geralt stared at the man darkly at first, but the sincerity in his eyes reassured him. "What about the story in Lindenvale? Was it really just a coincidence that you met here again?"  
Veit nodded violently. "I swear to you that we didn't plan this. Until Dandelion appeared in Corvo Bianco, I didn't know the slightest thing about these attacks. "It's like I said, we were not supposed to meet until the winter quarters.”  
Veit sighed out loud. "Geralt please believe me, all I wanted was to find out why Regis cheated on my mother. I never intended to betray you or anyone else."

Geralt avoided eye contact when he turned to the Witcher again." Did you find what you were looking for?"  
Veit didn't answer immediately, but stood up and circled the bonfire again and sat down next to him. Then he put his hand on Geralts. "I understand now what happened. But I found more than I had hoped for. «

**~**

The moon was high in the sky when the men lay down to rest. They had their meal mostly in silence and everyone brooded. But now Geralt was tormented by his thoughts again.  
His mind told him that he was too naive, but his heart wanted to believe Veit's story. The feeling of having been betrayed melted under every loving glance the Witcher gave him.

Geralt pondered for a while, then he asked another question that concerned him. "Why are you so upset that Regis cheated on your mother once?"  
Veit turned his head towards Geralt and stared at him in astonishment. "I hope you're not serious about this question."  
Helplessly, Geralt shrugged and Veit gave him a long sceptical look. Finally, he explained: "He told her that he loved her. ...love, Geralt. Not just sympathy or sexual attraction. If you really love someone, that person simply takes over your whole being. Then you don't sleep with others. If you truly love someone, you don't even have the interest in sleeping with others."

Geralt swallowed dry. He thought of Yennefer at first and then numerous pictures shot into his head, of countless women he had fun with over the years. His conscience made itself felt with a queasy feeling in his stomach, but suddenly he remembered Istredd and he sighed resignedly. "I guess you're right, with true, honest love this shouldn't happen."

Veit smiled lovingly at him again and slid a little closer to him.  
As their arms touched, another image appeared before his eye and he swallowed again as his heart made a painful little jump. The freckled innkeeper's daughter in Oreton. _Could I...?_

Veit turned his head back smiling and stared at the sky again. "You know, there once was this girl. - Marianne." Geralt stared at him from the side in surprise. Veit must have noticed it, because he was grinning broadly now. "I'm full of surprises, aren't I?"  
But before Geralt could give an answer, Veit continued: "I fell head over heels in love with her and courted her attention like a fool. Every minute that we were apart dragged on forever and every conversation with other people was just unbearable, because it kept me away from her or even the thought of her. The idea of getting involved with anyone else was absurd. Simply everyone faded next to her to absolute insignificance. I couldn’t imagine having anyone else at my side ever again. And the thought of another man laying his hands on her, was... unbearable.”

“That's what love does to us. The stronger it is, the more stupid and fixated we act. But that's okay - after all, it makes us happy too."

"What happened to her?" Geralt asked curiously. Veit's smile died away. "I loved her. But she... I guess she found it exciting to roll over the sheets with a Witcher a couple of times."  
He paused and took a short break. "It took me decades to get involved with someone else again."

Geralt thought about something. "Is that the reason why you were so upset when Dandelion told you about the Succubus in Toussaint?"  
Veit shook his head. "No, I just think Succubi shouldn't be in cities. Sooner or later they always cause problems. No, I'm really only concerned about the incident in Dillingen. At the time in Toussaint, he was an unattached man. So, I really can't blame him for that."  
Veit paused for a moment. "On the contrary, I hope he had a few more adventures over the years, though hopefully not only with those horrible goat women. We're talking about two hundred and seventy years."

Geralt scratched his chin thoughtfully. "So, you think Regis lied and that he never really loved Valka?" Veit made a face. "No, I think he's an idiot."  
Geralt tried to suppress a grin. "You know that he can hear you, right?" The dark-haired Witcher turned his face towards him again. "I know," he said mischievously. "I believe him that he had no interest in the Succubus and above all, I believe him that he truly loved my mother."

♦

Eskel raised a dull hand to his mouth to cover his yawn. Their journey to Blackbough was pleasantly uneventful, but their monotony also tugged at his energy.  
Zoltan had been leaning against his back for several hours, snoring loudly, Dandelion, on the other hand, held himself bravely in the saddle, but his eyes were already falling conspicuously often. Only Valka and he seemed to be at least halfway awake.

"We should rest in Blackbough," Eskel suggested. Valka did not turn around, but nodded conspicuously. "I think you're right. We have to find out where the Pellar lives anyway and I doubt he will even open the door for us in the middle of the night," the Witcher replied.

"Is there a tavern in town?" Eskel asked hopefully. Valka nodded again. "Not very big, but we should at least be able to get everyone a straw bag to sleep on." Relieved, Eskel sighed up and urged Scorpion to get within Dandelion's reach.  
He reached out a hand and grabbed the bard by the shoulder to shake him. "Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up. We'll be staying here at the tavern." Dandelion shot up and looked around so startled that he would have slipped from Pegasus if the Witcher had not still grabbed him by the shoulder. Through the movement, Zoltan woke up, straightened up and wiped the saliva from his beard.

Eskel turned his head disapprovingly to take a look at his shoulder and he found that his concerns were confirmed. The dwarf had drooled all over him while he slept. Disgusted, he looked to the side and noticed that Valka was watching him grinning. "It was your suggestion that Zoltan should ride with you," she smiled.  
Eskel only made a face in response and elicited a small laugh from Valka. Then she pushed her heels to the side of her horse. "Let's get a move on, Blackbough is just up ahead."

**~**

"Shall we have a drink?" Eskel asked aloud to drown out the noise of the tavern.  
"Took you long enough to ask," Zoltan replied cheerfully and marched straight to an empty table. Eskel looked at Valka questioningly and the Witcher nodded in agreement while she ran her hand through her hair. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead she froze and looked over Eskel's shoulder with big eyes.  
Confused, the Witcher turned around and followed her gaze into a corner of the taproom. There, almost hidden in the shade, sat an elf and returned Valka's gaze no less penetrating.

Eskel turned to her again, but before he had the chance to ask about the elf, Valka nudged him with a friendly smile. "Start without me. I'll join you later." Without another word of explanation, she passed Eskel and meandered around the tables towards the door.

The Witcher looked at her in wonder, then looked back at the elf who had followed her with his gaze. Irritated, Eskel shook his head and went to the table to join Zoltan. "What about Dandelion?", he asked when he noticed that the bard was no longer present.  
"He's already taken a nap so he doesn't miss any of his beauty sleep," explained Zoltan and waved his hand at the innkeeper. Eskel was about to answer when he noticed a movement from the corners of his eyes. He just saw the elf step out of the door through which Valka had disappeared just a moment before. Of course, there was the possibility that it was unrelated, but he had a bad feeling in his stomach. Eskel got up again with a short decision and said to Zoltan: "Order one for me too, I just have to get out for a moment." He didn't wait for an answer and rushed to the door with quick steps.

Carefully, Eskel followed the man. He kept some distance, but the elf didn't seem to care if anyone could follow him. It didn't take long before the Witcher realised that he was on his way to the stable. He used this observation to find another way around the houses and quickly took a position behind the building.  
Only seconds later the man also reached the stable and Eskel saw that his instincts had not deceived him. Right in front of the building, Valka leaned against a wall. She now pushed herself off and, closely followed by the man, she stepped through the door.

Eskel closed his eyes and listened intently to the sounds coming from the stable.  
He heard a few mumbled words, but they were too quiet to understand, then for a few minutes only the rustling of the animals in the straw and an occasional neighing followed. As Eskel was already thinking about finding another position to observe them, suddenly other noises could be heard and a broad grin flitted across Eskel's face.

He got up quietly and went back into the taproom where Zoltan was already waiting for him with well-filled jug. "Where is our lady," he asked in curiosity and made Eskel grin again. "Seems she's met an old friend."  
"Friend?" Zoltan asked. Eskel made an artificial cough. "Now, I assume. In any case, they didn't waste any time talking or getting to know each other before they made themselves comfortable in the hay."

Zoltan shook his head and raised his jug to the mouth. "And I always thought it was one of those Geralt-things. Seems more like a Witcher-thing." Eskel smiled and cheered to him.


	10. Loose ends and unresolved issues

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Dandelion asked skeptically as he inspected the small hut.  
"At least I'm sure this is the place the butcher's wife told me about," Valka replied, dismounting Topaz to get closer to the inconspicuous building.  
A muffled stomping behind her indicated that Zoltan had jumped off Scorpion's back and just a moment later, he was standing next to the Witcher with his weapon in his hand and looked up at her.  
"Lonely hut outside the village, herb garden and a goat. Sounds a lot like what Geralt told us", the dwarf enumerated and got a nod of approval.

"Now someone just has to explain to me what he meant when he said we should watch out for the wild strawberries," Eskel interjected as he wrapped the reins of his horse around the low fence.  
Valka shrugged helplessly and made a face. "Since he grinned like an idiot, I assume it was meant as a joke. Anyway, I don't see any strawberries here. Not even raspberries."

"They are particularly dangerous", an unfamiliar voice suddenly announced, and made the group flinch in fright. The door of the hut opened and an old, almost bald man with an unappetizing chicken foot chain around his neck and a flat bowl in his hand stepped outside. He gave them only a glimpse and then went down on his knees beside the goat.

Eskel took a step forward and addressed the man. "We..."  
He didn't get any further than that because the old man interrupted him immediately with a harsh gesture. "The Pellar knows who you are. The wise white wolf sent you. He sends you to ask the spirits for an omen."  
Eskel raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. "Are you sure we're talking about the same man? Because our wolf is only white."

Valka pushed an elbow into his ribs to silence him, but the Pellar didn't react to him anyway and pointed with one hand into the forest while he continued to milk the goat with the other. "Go and bring me something alive. Hurry, I sense that the spirits are very restless. Time is running out."  
"And why should we... Hey old man, I'm talking to you." Dandelion pressed his hands to his sides in insult when the man stood up without a word and left with the goat's milk in his hand.  
Zoltan shook his head in surprise and tugged at the bard's sleeve. "Geralt had warned us that the guy was weird. So leave him alone. He wants something alive, let's see what we can find here."  
The two Witchers nodded at him and turned around in sync with the forest. "Let's go hunting."  
But a moment later, Eskel took a quick sideways glance at the dwarf. "You'd better wait here with Dandelion. This is a job for Axii, not for the blade - or the lute."

~

Some time later the two Witcher returned and Zoltan saw that the Woman was carrying a small partridge in her arms. The bird looked sleepy and cooed softly while she stroked its plumage gently.  
"Has something happened?" Eskel asked casually, and Dandelion looked up in annoyance while petting Pegasus' long nose thoughtlessly. "Besides the old man talking to himself all the time? No, nothing at all."  
Valka walked past the men to the door. "Let's not dawdle now. The others are probably almost back in Lindenvale by now and you heard the Pellar, time is running out."  
Zoltan scurried past her to hold the door open for her and they entered the simple parlor one after the other.

Countless candles were burning in the hut, giving off an unpleasant rancid smell. On the tables lay scattered different feathers, antlers, claws, moth-eaten furs and strange roughly carved wooden figures. The tufts of herbs hanging from the ceiling beams forced Eskel to keep his head down so as not to bump against them while he spread out around the Pellar with the others.  
The man stood with his eyes closed and the bowl in his hand, in the middle of a circle of an unknown white powder, muttering incessantly incomprehensible words. Without warning, he poured out the goat's milk in a wide bow around him, forcing his visitors to jump backwards to save themselves from any splashes.

Dandelion wanted to protest piqued, but when the Pellar immediately pulled a knife from the folds of his tattered robe, he closed his mouth again right away.  
The man stretched out a hand to Valka and she carefully handed him the stunned partridge.  
Without batting an eyelid, he cut off the bird's head and let the blood drip from its small body onto the goat's milk circle.  
He carelessly threw the carcass into a corner of the room, as soon as the circle was complete.

For a moment it almost seemed as if nothing would happen, but then the atmosphere in the hut suddenly changed.  
The candles flickered more intensely and their light suddenly seemed subdued. The shadows themselves appeared to be alive and fought against the faint cones of light. Even the air felt thicker and more opaque.  
The Witcher glanced uneasily at each other and Dandelion stepped anxiously one step closer to Eskel.

Then the Pellar fell to his knees and painfully distorted his face. Cramps shook his gaunt body and he rolled his head frantically while he struggled for breath.  
The others watched him anxiously and with bated breath, when he suddenly tilted his head back and abruptly every movement froze.  
His bloodshot eyes were wide open, but so twisted that only the white was visible.  
A deep inhuman voice rumbled out of his throat: " ** _I SEE... DEMANDING DESIRE - OF A POISONIOUS HEART. OLD AND POWERFUL -_ IT YEARNS FOR... THE GREATEST TREASURE. SHARP CLAWS TRYING TO HOLD ON TO WHAT RIGHTFULLY BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE...**"  
The voice of the Pellar failed and the man tipped over powerlessly forward, where he lay motionless on the ground.

Valka reacted first. She knelt next to the old man and examined him hectically. Finally, she took her hand off the man's chest again and breathed out in relief. "He just fainted."  
"That's all fine and good, but could someone please explain to me what the hell just happened?" Dandelion threw in white as a sheet.

~

"I wonder what kind of treasure the old man was talking about," Zoltan asked thoughtfully and scratched his beard.  
Eskel glanced over his shoulder and shook his head at a loss. Valka and Dandelion also just shrugged as they followed the muddy road back to Lindenvale.

The Pellar had reawakened after a few minutes. But since he refused to explain his vision despite their urgent request, they had decided to make their way back and tell the rest of their unusual Hansa the cryptic words as soon as possible.  
"Is it possible that we are really talking about gold and jewels?", the dwarf continued to speculate.  
"Not to be excluded. Katakans love jewellery. Maybe some scavengers got hold of some Vampire treasure and hid the stuff in Velen. And now they're coming to get their tinsel stuff back," Eskel replied.  
"I doubt that very much," Valka replied with sceptically drawn-up eyebrows. "You must not forget that the pack consists of all the lower Vampire races and most of them don't care about riches."  
"So then we must ask ourselves what all Vampires desire equally and the answer is obvious," the Bard now interfered.  
Valka shook her head again. "I think that's also quite impossible, Dandelion. If they were only interested in blood, they would proceed quite differently. They wouldn't move from place to place in such a strange way and certainly wouldn't limit themselves to just a few deaths per settlement. The way they behave, it takes weeks before everyone in the pack gets a chance to drink. Of course, it would be reckless to depopulate the settlements one after the other, as that would almost certainly incur the displeasure of the higher Vampires, but there would still be more effective ways for them to hunt."

Eskel nodded his approval. "Also, remember what Regis said. It is unusual for the species to band together. So it must be connected to something beyond their normal behavior."  
Valka sighed in frustration. "It's probably pointless to worry about it now. We have to hope that the others could find something more useful and maybe Regis knows what to do with the words. So the best thing is to hurry back now."

She pushed her heels to the sides of her horse and the others hurried to push their mounts as well to keep up with her.  
When Scorpion was back on a par with Topaz, Eskel grinned cheekily at the Witcher. "What a pity, you won't get a chance to say goodbye to your friend now." He immediately got a poisonous look and an indignant snort from Valka.  
"By the way, you still have straw in your hair," he continued playing innocently, teasing the woman further.  
Valka turned in the saddle so that she could look at him directly. "My dearest Eskel, if you don't shut up right now, I'll spank you and I promise you it won't be as fun as with the girls in Passiflora."  
He raised his hands appeasingly, but couldn't wipe that big grin off his face. Behind him, Zoltan hummed his beard, while shaking his head. "Witchers."

♦

The rest of the journey from Toderas back to Lindenvale passed very quietly in an unpleasant way.  
It was clearly noticeable that Regis, unlike usual, didn't feel much like talking and instead preferred to hang on to his gloomy thoughts.  
After the Vampire had revealed to them his past with Valka and the sad end of it, neither Witcher could bring himself to start a conversation.

When they arrived back in Lindenvale just before noon, Regis got off his borrowed mount, announced that he wanted to go for a long walk, and then left without further ado.  
Both Witchers looked at him worriedly, but finally shrugged helplessly.  
"It's best not to mention it anymore," Veit suggested and freed himself from his tattered armour jacket, groaning. Geralt quickly went to him and grabbed the collar to help him undress. "Probably would be the best", he agreed.

"I have to go to the blacksmith to sharpen my blades anyway, shall I take the thing with me and ask if it can be repaired?", he added after a moment.  
The dark-haired Witcher nodded and sighed gratefully. "That would be fine. If you don't mind, I'd like to go back to the tavern and wash off the necrophagous frowst."  
"I even insist on it," Geralt replied with a grin while he theatrically waved a hand in front of his face.

~

Sluggishly Geralt crossed the unadorned taproom to get into their dormitory. But when he opened the door, he stopped for a moment in bewilderment. Actually, he had expected to find Veit here, but the room was obviously empty.  
"Veit?", Geralt asked in surprise and looked around once more.  
"I'm here", it sounded muffled from the adjacent tiny chamber. Geralt relaxed and went to his bunk to take off his swords and the jacket of his armour.  
"Did you go to the blacksmith?", the voice of the other Witcher sounded again through the leaning door.  
"Yes", Geralt replied and took off his boots. "He thought he could fix your armour, but it won't be cheap. The runes are ruined."  
"Hmph", the other man replied monosyllabically. Geralt grinned and pressed his toes against the heel of the second boot to strip it off as well.

"Can I ask you something?" he wanted to know, when he then put his hands behind his head and stretched out relaxed on the bunk.  
"Go ahead", Veit replied.  
"Why did you hide that Valka is your mother?"  
After a short break the answer from the adjoining room sounded: "I didn't hide it. At least not to you." Another pause followed. "You must understand that after such a long time, my relationship with Valka is not classic a son's relationship with his mother. She no longer sees me as the child she must protect and treats me as an equal. For me now she's more of a companion in battle too, even if she was the person I used to run to when the other kids were mean to me." He laughed briefly. "I stopped calling her Mother two hundred years ago and call her by her first name instead. She is of course immensely important to me and I never forget that she is the woman who gave birth to me, but over the years we have become too much equals to have a classic mother-son relationship."

Geralt growled insightfully, but then said: "But you wanted to keep it a secret from Regis."  
A soft splashing sounded before Veit answered. "Yes, it's true. At least I tried, he's figured it out by himself after all. But I just wanted to hear his version of the story before he realized that I'm affected in some way."

Geralt bit his cheek, brooding, and swung back from the bed. He slowly walked towards the next room and asked, "Is it possible you'd like to bring them back together?"  
Another splash resounded. "If you want to know, if this was my plan right from the start... No, it most certainly was not. I wasn't even sure if, after Regis' story, I wouldn't just draw my sword and cut off his head again. But now...", he paused again.  
"I wouldn't mind if the two of them came together again. I think it would even make them both very happy. Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple..."

Veit looked up as the door slowly swung open and Geralt leaned against the door frame.  
He had just put the mirror and the razor blade aside and now he dabbed the soap residue with a cloth while his face widened to a broad grin. "Do you like what you see?" he asked amusedly.  
Geralt immediately lowered his eyes to the ground, but soon after that he rushed back to him and let they slowly move over the other man.

Veit sat in a tub filled with steaming water that flooded the tiny dark room with wafts of mist.  
The tub was luxuriously large, but the Witcher still had to put his feet on the edge to be able to lie in it relaxed.  
Geralt did not answer him. But Veit saw how he swallowed hard and then slowly came towards him. Surprised he stood up and put his feet back into the water.  
Casually Geralt took a small stool, sat down next to the tub and continued with his observation.  
Veit shivered when the Witcher suddenly stretched out a hand and stroked his chin with the back of his fingers.  
Afterwards his fingers followed his gaze slowly over the flawless skin of his neck, chest and the strong abdominal muscles until they finally dipped into the water surface.  
He squealed in surprise when Geralt, instead of continuing the movement fluently, suddenly positioned his hand much lower.

Geralt watched with interest how Veit shuddered comfortably with every movement of his fingers. Quickly his movements became more courageous and it didn't take long until he felt Veit getting hard.  
"Get up", he ordered suddenly and the Witcher opened his mouth in surprise. "Are you sure?"  
Geralt nodded with an inappropriately serious face. "I am. Get up."

He pulled back his hand as Veit leaned on the edge of the tub to follow his order.  
His heart was pounding in his throat as the man stood up in front of him and the water flowed down his naked body.  
As the man's already completely erect dick swayed up and down in front of his nose, he took a sharp breath.  
In fact, he was not so sure if he really wanted to do that. But the memory of the ecstasy Veit had brought him yesterday in Toderas tempted him to ignore his concerns.

He felt Veit's searching look clearly on him, but Geralt avoided the eye contact and instead concentrated completely on the hard dick, which, just like the rest of the Witcher, was still damping from the warm water. Again, Geralt stretched out his hand and clasped him with unsteady fingers.  
Unsteadily he started the smooth movements of his wrist, which he had used countless times on himself and wondered how strange it felt to perform the known activity on someone else. He continued the caress with gentle pressure while silently encouraging himself.  
Finally, he swallowed his emerging concerns one last time, closed his eyes and opened his mouth.

Veit sighed softly when Geralt took him into his mouth and hesitantly ran his tongue over the tender tip.  
A short moan immediately rewarded the somewhat more courageous effort as he now closed his lips around him and sucked lightly on the pulsating dick.  
Geralt bent further forward and let him slide deeper into his mouth until his gag reflex suddenly kicked in and he quickly pulled back.  
He swallowed again, but this time only to relax his throat and he immediately resumed his activity. This time a bit more confident.

Now he knew how deep he could take it, he became braver and pushed forward faster, played with his tongue on the underside of Veit's dick and then pulled back again.  
The Witcher's constant moaning encouraged him to repeat the sequence directly and he gradually increased the speed with which he moved his head back and forth and the pressure he exerted with his tongue.  
Veit reached involuntarily with one hand into his hair and Geralt couldn't stop grinning when he felt the man fighting against the impulse to lead him with his hand.  
To his own surprise Geralt did not find it disgusting to have the Witcher in his mouth. It was unfamiliar and he was way too big to take it completely, but the taste was not unpleasant. If he was honest, he even felt somehow... aroused by it.  
 _Pheromones_ , suddenly came into his mind. But he immediately blocked it out again. He wanted to focus on the situation, not analyze it.

After a few more moments of this unfamiliar activity, his jaw muscles suddenly became painful. It was far more strenuous than expected to use his mouth like that.  
When he had to withdraw immediately afterwards to give his jaw the opportunity to relax, Geralt finally dared to open his eyes and look up to Veit.  
The Witcher had tilted his head into the neck and breathed with fast, heavy gasps through his wide open mouth.

Geralt started to stroke him again and with every movement of his fingers, the man experienced a pleasant shiver. Curious, Geralt leaned forward once more and stuck out his tongue, this time without taking his eyes off the man's face.  
He moved his tongue teasingly over the tip and watched Veit's reaction expectantly. He moaned loudly and flinched so violently that he almost rammed his cock into Geralt's throat.  
Geralt retreated again and grinned while he continued to work with his fingers. Gradually the thing started to amuse him. It was an intoxicating feeling to have the Witcher, in the truest sense of the word, in his hand.  
He noticed that Veit had opened his eyes again and looked down at him with a lust-clouded gaze. Geralt didn't resist when the man's other hand was in his neck and he pressed his head back to his cock. Obediently he took it back into his mouth and closed his lips around it. With slow and careful movements of his hips Veit now pushed deeper into his mouth. He stopped as a precaution before it became too much for Geralt and retreated, only to strike again immediately.  
Geralt's eyes widened in astonishment when he realized what Veit was doing to him at that moment. It seemed absurd to him, but the realization of being fucked in the mouth without resistance made a hot stream of excitement flow directly between his legs.  
He was used to have control during sex, not because he wanted it so much, but rather because it was demanded of him, and to just give up control for a moment was new and quite exciting.

It wasn't long before his growing erection pressed uncomfortably in his pants and he moved restlessly on the stool.  
He didn't want to interrupt Veit, so Geralt tried to open his pants while he had to concentrate intensively on his breathing and the movement of his tongue.  
After he had finally succeeded in loosening the ligaments and he could free himself from the tight trousers, he groaned relieved.  
The relief did not last long because now his jaw cramped up unfortunately again. He tried to open his mouth a little wider to relieve the tension, but apart from the fact that saliva was now seeping out of the corner of his mouth, it didn't help him.

All of a sudden Veit stopped his movement and looked down at him questioningly. He had noticed that Geralt felt uncomfortable and withdrew from his mouth. When his gaze fell into his bared crotch, he grinned broadly.  
He grabbed him tightly by his upper arm, pulled him demandingly onto his feet and then even closer to himself.  
Geralt sighed blissfully as their lips met and returned the kiss with more enthusiasm than he would have thought possible.  
He shivered when Veit pressed his abdomen against him and their hot, throbbing erections touched. Only a moment later, the dark-haired Witcher's hand gripped them both and began to massage them at a gentle pace.

Geralt detached himself moaning from Veit's lips. He enjoyed the touch for a few seconds with closed eyes. Then he bowed his head, spread feather-light kisses on the man's immaculate neck.  
His breath accelerated under the continuous movement of Veit's hand and his kisses were filled with uncontrolled moaning with every further movement. It didn't take long before he noticed somewhere on the edge of his consciousness that Veit's whole body shook trembling. The man's previously soft moaning became loud and finally he bent forward and bit tenderly into Geralt's shoulder to muffle the hoarse cries.  
Veit's movements became more and more erratic and jerky, but he still managed to keep going until Geralt came no less intense shortly after and spread his hot semen on his belly.

Exhausted, Geralt supported himself on the broad shoulders of the other Witcher, who could hardly stand on his own feet. Together they managed to stand still despite their shaky knees. For a moment they looked into each other's eyes, breathing heavily, then suddenly they both had to laugh.  
"That was... that was really good", Geralt still stated breathlessly. "That was really, really good."  
Veit bent over and kissed him again, then he asked winking. "Good enough to repeat that on occasion?"  
Geralt grinned, took a step back and pulled his shirt over his head. "I can hardly wait," he replied lasciviously, got out of his trousers, which were only hanging at his knees anyway, and climbed into the tub as well.

Grinning, Veit let himself slide into the water again and leaned with his back against the wall of the tub. But this time he spread his bent legs to make room for Geralt who sat down in front of him and leaned against Veit's muscular chest with a satisfied sigh.  
Wordlessly, Veit wrapped his arms around him, pulled him even closer and supported his chin on Geralt's shoulder.  
The warmth of the water and the comfort of her touch made Geralt shiver with satisfaction.

He grabbed Veit's braid that had fallen over his shoulder and thoughtfully let it slip through his fingers. Somewhere in the back of his head a voice beeped, reminding him that he should actually be indignant, but he felt more comfortable and satisfied in the man's arms than he had felt in a long time.  
The anxiety and stress he had been under in the last few days because of his unclear feelings fell away from him and he relaxed wonderfully.  
He still wasn't sure about the nature of their relationship, but at least the idea of having sex with the man no longer worried him. He grinned once more while continuing to play with Veit's hair. It didn't worry him in the slightest anymore.  
Smiling, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Veit's fingers slowly caressing his chest while he hummed softly.

After a few minutes Geralt remembered their previous conversation and without bothering to open his eyes he said: "To come back to your mother... ."  
Veit interrupted him immediately, by laughing and drilling a finger into his side. "This is exactly the moment when I really want to talk about my mother."  
Laughing, Geralt turned to the side to avoid the finger. "I'm sorry, but you can hardly blame my curiosity. "Without your secrecy, none of this would have happened."  
He sighed softly. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

Geralt splashed absently with one hand through the water while talking. "I don't pretend to understand Regis, but I'd bet my swords that he still loves Valka."  
He felt Veit nodding.  
"But what about Valka? Does she still love him?"  
Veit nibbled his lower lip thoughtfully. "My mother is... complicated. When asked if she still loves Regis, I would answer with a very definite yes. I think she's always loved him, even in spite of his... mistake. That's not the problem."  
"What is the problem?" Geralt asked with interest.  
Veit was silent for a moment, then he said in a cold voice: "There's this guy..."  
"She has another guy?" Geralt turned his head to the side in astonishment to look at him.  
He made a grimace and nodded sincerely.  
"I guess you don't like him very much, huh?"  
Veit swayed his head indecisively back and forth. "It wasn't always like that. There was even a time when I admired him quite a bit, but now...?"  
"He loves Valka, of that I have no doubt. Sometimes one gets the impression that he is obsessed with her..."  
Geralt put his hand on Veits, who still rested on his chest, and squeezed it gently. "What's the problem?", he asked cautiously one more time.  
"I'm sure it's not mutual. And even if I'm wrong about this, I'd still bet diamonds against nuts that she has far more of a thing for Regis."  
He stared at the water surface so gloomily that Geralt decided not to ask any more questions.

But after a few minutes of silence, his gaze softened again and he turned to Geralt. "Can I ask you a question now?"  
Geralt just nodded.  
"Did you ever have a problem with Regis being a vampire?"  
The question surprised him and he thought for a while before answering. "Yes, there was actually a moment. It took me a while to realize what Regis is, but once I was sure, I was in a quandary. I wasn't sure whether I could trust him after such an epiphany, but on the other hand he had already helped me and my companions a lot.  
"What was it that finally made you trust him?"  
Geralt laughed softly. "His obtrusiveness. He simply wouldn't be driven away." Then he got serious again. "Fortunately... I probably wouldn't have survived Stygga without him."

"Is he really... burned?", Veit asked thoughtfully and bit his lip when Geralt nodded bitterly in reply.  
"It was... simply unimaginably horrible."  
After a moment of silence he then added more cheerfully: "You can hardly imagine how happy I was when he suddenly stood in front of me in Toussaint. One can still clearly see what he's been through, but at least he's alive."  
Veit nodded understandingly and said in a low voice: "I never expected this, but I really like him."  
Geralt smiled and snuggled closer to his chest. When he tilted his head a little bit to give Veit a kiss on his neck, he immediately wrapped his arms around him again and started to nibble tenderly on his ear.  
 _I could really get used to that_ , Geralt thought contentedly.  
Veit hummed comfortably at first, but then he squinted at him smirking. "You could use a shave, too." The naughty grin that then spread over Geralt's face made Veit laugh and he turned to the side to grab his shaving kit.  
"I can see where this is going."

~

When the two Witcher had finished their bath some time later and got dressed again, Geralt suddenly became restless. They had taken their time and it was to be assumed that Regis would have finished his walk quite a while ago.  
He felt a slight worry in his gut that the Vampire might have been in the adjoining sleeping chamber for some time and had possibly witnessed their... activities again.  
When he hesitantly opened the door, but found the room empty, he breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly he went to his bunk to put his boots back on, then he followed Veit who had already returned to the taproom.

As soon as he entered the large room, he saw the Witcher sitting at one of the long tables together with Regis, who seemed to be completely lost in a book. When he joined them, Veit smiled at him friendly and asked: "Would you like beer or booze?"  
"Beer", Geralt answered promptly and Veit grabbed the jug that was already on the table in front of him to pour it for him.  
When Geralt accepted the mug with thanks, suddenly Regis' voice sounded, who was almost invisible behind the book in his hand. "Please be careful not to stain yourself. It would be very unfortunate, considering the time and effort you both put into your personal hygiene."  
Geralt placed the cup violently on the table top and frowned angrily. "I think I'd rather have booze now after all," he explained grudgingly and glanced angrily at the raised book, behind which a soft giggle sounded.


	11. Revelation or the strange case of the Witcher Veit

"Are there any news?" Geralt asked hopefully when Veit joined him and Regis at the table and settled down clumsily on the bench next to them. Frustrated, the Witcher shook his head and then supported it with his hand. "None at all. Neither new refugees have arrived, nor have there been further attacks. It must be... jinxed."  
Geralt frowned but didn't say anything back.  
"It's indeed extraordinarily astonishing", Regis replied instead, who had thoughtfully put a hand to his mouth. "For weeks, the attacks follow a comprehensible pattern, with reliable frequency, and all of a sudden, chaos reigns. The pattern becomes erratic, and then the Vampires seem to retreat completely."  
"So the question is, what had changed?" Geralt finally spoke up and got a little smile from Regis. "Isn't it obvious, my friend? - We."  
The wrinkles on the Witcher's forehead became even deeper. "We? What do you mean, we?"  
Regis took his hand away from his face and put it next to the other one on the table. " According to what your friend Eskel said, we are the only newcomers here who haven't fled from the Vampire attacks. The change in behaviour also occurred with our arrival. It is only logical to assume that we, or at least someone in our... Hansa, is the trigger." He paused briefly and drummed thoughtfully with the sharp nails on the wooden tabletop. "Perhaps it refers to a specific person, for some as yet undefined reason. Or perhaps the extraordinary fact that four experienced Witchers have gathered here at once is simply too daunting."  
"You mean the Vampire boss has learned about us and is now wetting his pants?", Veit asked with a grin.  
"Without wanting to disparage your abilities, I would still say that this is hardly the reaction you are causing. Especially since we must not forget that this is only a hypothesis that the higher Vampire is leading the pack. A very obvious hypothesis, but a hypothesis, nonetheless. He could just as easily be here by chance or just following the events out of interest."  
Regis raised his hand to stop Veit, who was about to interject something. "But if we now assume that some of my brethren is leading the pack, then he's pursuing a certain purpose. And the achievement of this purpose could be disturbed or endangered by our presence... or yours. So, the missing attacks could be a sign that he is reconsidering his actions and is looking for alternatives, so as not to risk being disturbed by you.”

Geralt thoughtfully stroked his hair and thought about Regis' argumentation for a moment. "I have serious doubts that it's really just a coincidence that a higher Vampire is hanging around here right now. Especially since you said that it's unlikely that the lower Vampires would gather of their own accord. No, I think we can assume that he's the one who is responsible."  
Regis nodded hesitantly at him.  
" Then there is one more question to be answered now," Veit spoke up again. "What is the Vampire up to?"  
"I hope that we'll get an answer soon," Regis said and pointed with a movement of his head towards the door.  
The two men turned their heads to look in the indicated direction when the front door opened and Zoltan, followed by the rest of his group, tiredly dragged into the taproom. After some confused glances across the tables, they approached them unerringly.

**~**

Eskel dipped another piece of bread into his half-emptied bowl of stew, but before he put it in his mouth, he asked, "And you are sure that a higher Vampire is involved?"  
Regis had folded his fingers in front of his face and looked at the Witcher nodding. " I am absolutely certain."  
"Did you recognize him?", the Witcher asked with a full mouth and this time he got a shake of the head as an answer.  
"I don't know exactly to explain it to you understandably." Thoughtfully he put a hand to his chin. "I have no idea who the Vampire could be. I could perceive no hint of his identity or even a scent. It was more like a feeling."  
In disbelief, Geralt leaned forward. "Wait a minute, are you saying that you just had the feeling that there was a higher Vampire?"  
Regis waved his hand in Geralt's direction, calming him down. "I assure you; he was there. We Vampires are a little territorial beyond our family, ...our pack. We instinctively sense the presence of another. However, this feeling gives us no idea of the person. It's the same instinct that led to my rescue by Dettlaff. He sensed my presence and then, went curiously looking for me."

Valka nibbled at her lower lip and moved the potato pieces in her bowl with her spoon. After a while she dropped the spoon and leaned back with folded arms. "Then you wouldn't recognize him if he crossed your path?"  
Regis shook his head again. "At least I wouldn't be able to figure out if he was the person who was in Toderas."  
"But does it matter?", Dandelion asked. "Let's face it, how many Vampires could be on their way here? We know that a higher Vampire is pulling the strings. So, all Regis has to do is find him and you'll kill him."

Valka sighed loudly and leaned back at the table. " One would think that in the time you've been friends with Geralt you would have learned more about Witcher-work. At first, we just can't be sure that the first Vampire we meet is actually the one we are looking for. It can't be excluded that the Vampire activity here also attracts interested observers and I don't have the slightest desire to annoy uninvolved Vampires with false accusations. After all, such things are very bad for one's health. And the next point is, we can't just take him down. Once we find him, which will be difficult enough, we'll have to come up with a damn good strategy to subdue him. And personally, I would prefer we try talking to him first before we risk our necks. And only if that fails, we can use the blades, pray that we all survive and then figure out what to do with his remains."

"I know Witchers can't kill Vampires, but Regis is able to..."  
"NO!", Geralt and Valka interrupted the bard synchronously.  
"No", Geralt repeated more calmly. "It's completely out of the question that Regis will do anything against the Vampire. The consequences for him would be much too serious. We'll have to deal with it ourselves."  
Regis raised his hands to calm them down and prevented another comment from Dandelion. "It's pointless to debate this now. I agree with Valka, we should first find the Vampire and try to talk to him. Perhaps we can convince him to stop his nefarious attacks. In any case, we should do everything possible to avoid open confrontation. Unfortunately, since we have found no indication of his current whereabouts, our only option for now is to search for his motive."  
"That's right", Geralt spoke up again. "Did the Pellar give you anything useful?"  
"You mean apart from the nightmares about old weirdos living alone in the forest with their goats?", Zoltan asked. "Not really."  
"Nothing at all?" Geralt asked incredulously.  
"No, you can't say that either," Eskel interfered. "He was expecting us and also knew what we are searching for. Unfortunately, his vision wasn't very helpful. All he said was: the consuming desire of a poisonous heart. Old and powerful, it yearns for the greatest treasure. Sharp claws trying to hold what is rightfully someone else's. At least we couldn't make sense of it. But maybe Regis can enlighten us?"

All heads turned to the Vampire, staring at him with bated breath. Regis leaned back a bit and stared at the ceiling brooding for a moment, then nodded his head slightly. "Interesting," he said. "Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest idea what that actually means."  
The others stared at him in astonishment, but then he suddenly continued: "Well, we can assume that this really refers to the higher Vampire. Old and powerful, sharp claws, that's pretty strong evidence. But what treasure could possibly be meant?"  
"Is there a chance that it is a gold treasure?", Dandelion asked curiously.  
"Unlikely. Of course, I can't exclude it with certainty, but unlike the humans, my people enjoy luxury, but we don't tend to accumulate wealth. No, I think it might rather be a magical artefact or maybe a relic from our old homeland. But why is he trying to keep it with sharp claws? Well, that could suggest that someone, probably the rightful owner, is trying to take it away from him. Which, in turn, would mean that we're not dealing with a higher Vampire and his lesser minions, but that a second Vampire or perhaps a Mage must be involved as well."

"Perhaps a potential ally," Geralt suggested.  
Valka shook her head. "If he tries to hold the treasure, the vision will probably describe the thief rather than our attacker. And remember, according to the spirits of the Pellar, our thief has a poisonous heart."  
"So, not a good ally. But then it means that our Vampire has been slaying through Velen to get his property back."  
"We'd better hold back with our speculations," Regis interrupted him seriously. "As it seems, we aren't progressing with the search for a motive. So, unfortunately we have to search for the Vampire himself and the faint hope that he will be willing to talk." He looked into the disgruntled faces one by one and waited patiently for a reaction.

After a while, Valka was the first to nod unhappily. Gradually the others joined in, no less unhappy with the situation.  
"This is going to be fun," Eskel remarked ironically and made a face. "Once again we set off to search the entire area for Vampire tracks."  
Valka smiled at him understandingly and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. "We are a few Witchers more now, so we should be able to pick up a trail sooner."  
"And what do we do when we find it?", Veit asked.

Valka tilted her head and thought about his question. Her gaze fell on Regis and remained there for a moment, then she suggested: "Regis could send us his birds. If one of us discovered something, they could inform the others. "We'll gather together and follow the pack's trail."  
Eskel got up from the bench after Regis gave the nod of approval and knocked on the table. "I still have a good supply of Moon Dust bombs, Vampire oil and Black blood. That should be enough for all of us without any problems. So, let's not drag it out any longer and get going. I wanna get this over with."

"Wait a moment", Zoltan brought up, when the other Witchers pushed away their bowls and also rose. "You have only spoken of yourselves. What about Dandelion and me?"  
Geralt turned back to his friend. "It's better if you stay here this time."  
Insulted, Zoltan put his hands to his sides and wanted to protest, but the Witcher beat him to it. "Believe me, Zoltan, it's better this way. We are faster alone and you two shouldn't leave without one of us. We might accidentally run into the claws of the whole pack."

The dwarf stared at him gloomily for a moment, but then lowered his arms again and nodded softly. "I don't mind." He thoughtfully scratched his beard, then pointed his index finger in Geralt's direction. "But if you're going to fight those bastards, I want to be there."  
The Witcher grinned at him cheerlessly. "I'm afraid, in these circumstances, we will have to rely on your axe."  
Valka sighed and reached for her swords, which were leaning against the wall behind her. "I will go to the stable and prepare the horses."  
Geralt tapped Eskel on the shoulder and pointed his head towards their bedroom. "And you and I get the equipment."  
He turned to the others. "Veit, you help your mother and Regis, you please inform your birds. We'II meet outside in a minute. Better not waste any more time."

"What?" Dandelion asked, startled, as Geralt was about to leave.  
"Dandelion, you stay here and try not to fool around," the Witcher added with a smile and nudged Eskel once more to ask him to follow.  
"No, just a moment," the bard stopped them further.

He stared at Veit with eyes wide open. "Did I just understand that correctly? Your mother?" He quickly turned to Valka and also looked at her in disbelief. "Does this mean that you... You are the mother of that one?" he asked the woman, pointing at Veit without hesitation.  
Valka nodded amusedly.

"Dandelion, please? We don't have time for that now," Geralt tried to slow him down. The man ignored his objection and turned to the female Witcher again. "But how... does that work?"  
This time Valka laughed out loud. "I actually expected a man your age to know how such things happen."  
Dandelion grimaced and gestured in the air. "I mean, of course, how can you be his mother if Witchers can't have children?" He hesitated for a moment. "Or does that only apply to men?"  
The others laughed too, but Geralt put his hand over his eyes, annoyed. She smiled and gave Geralt a quick, measured look. A moment later, she turned to the bard again. "Alright, ...short basic course in Witcher biology.”

“Witchers are not generally sterile.  
In order, for a child of any kind to be born, both potential parents must have a compatible metabolism. This is why humans can reproduce with elves, for example. Although there are differences between the species, their metabolism is sufficiently similar.  
However, the mutations change our bodies so much and in such unnatural ways that our entire metabolism differs significantly from that of other species. Does that explain it to you?"

Dandelion shook his head with open mouth, slowly, while he continued to look stunned between the Witchers. Then he suddenly came to his senses and shook off his surprise a little. "But if there is no one like you, how can you...?"  
"Oh, damn Dandelion," Eskel now impatiently interrupted the bard. "If a female - and - a - male WITCHER love each other very much, then it is quite likely that sooner or later they will have a child. It isn't that difficult, is it?"

While Eskel slowly gave the bard the obvious explanation, Geralt noticed that Valka took a quick sideways glance at Regis, who stood completely uninvolved and stared thoughtlessly out of the window. Despite her previous cheerfulness, the subject suddenly seemed uncomfortable to her and she shifted her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.  
 _No wonder when the ex stands next to you_ , Geralt thought. _Veit is probably right and she still has feelings for him. ...Maybe there's hope after all_.

"But how could you find out that this only works among yourselves?", the bard tore him out of his thoughts again.  
"Empirical research," Eskel replied dryly.  
"Meaning?"  
"Damn Dandelion, has the country air dried up your mind? They did everything and everyone, and eventually realized that the round bellies were missing", Zoltan said.  
Dandelion tilted his head. "Yes, that sounds logical, of course. But...?"  
"But what? Spit it out so we can finally leave", Geralt said now quite impatiently.  
Dandelion looked at him sheep-eyed. "Witchers actually did it with all...?"

"Woahhh. Stop, Dandelion. Say no more word", Veit interrupted him now. "There are quite a few species that we can only assume are also incompatible. But that doesn't matter anymore."  
"Why?", the bard asked bluntly.  
"If in the past centuries, not a single Witcher has ever been drunk enough to throw a Troll or a striga into the hay, then that will certainly not happen anymore. And I would be very grateful to you now if we could drop the subject, perhaps the images will disappear from my mind again," Veit explained shudderingly.

"We'll meet right outside the stable," Valka preceded the bard, who had already opened his mouth again to say something. "Don't dawdle." She took one last urgent look around and turned around to leave the taproom.

**~**

"I'm slowly wishing that all this crap would come to an end," sighed Veit as he followed the road that led them out of Lindenvale.  
Geralt, who rode next to him, nodded his head in agreement. "I'm glad to have Regis and Eskel with me again, but in the meantime I've had enough of this story, too. I'm not keen on messing with another Vampire and instead of all this futile chasing around I would much rather sit on my veranda and drink some wine."  
Veit agreed with a nod, but then turned his head conspicuously fast to the side to hide the worried expression that was suddenly on his face. But he wasn't fast enough to escape Geralt's attention.

Astonished, he watched Veit. Before he could ask a question, however, Veit suddenly pointed to the front where Valka and Eskel were riding and then to the sky above them where a swarm of ravens was circling. "We're nearly to the crossroads. The birds have already arrived, so it's time we split up."  
Geralt didn't react to him and instead pulled the reins a little to slow Roach. "Veit. Wait a minute."

For a moment it seemed as if the Witcher thought about whether he should follow the request at all, but then he also pulled on Lapis' reins and held himself next to Geralt, who made the distance between them and the two Witchers in front of them grow larger.  
When Eskel and Valka were out of earshot, he asked in a low voice: "When this is over, ... will you come back with me back to Corvo Bianco?"

Instead of the worried, a tormented expression now flitted across Veit's face, but was immediately driven away by his usual broad grin.  
"You don't like the guest room empty?" he asked casually.

Geralt stared at him irritated for a moment. It was obvious that the grin of his counterpart was only fake and that worried him. ...It even worried him a lot.  
He wasn't quite sure where he was standing with the man yet, but there was an uneasy feeling in his stomach that he had misinterpreted his intentions.

"I didn't mean as a... guest", he finally explained cautiously and secretly hoped that he wouldn't get an unpleasant answer to his question the next moment.  
This time the grin finally disappeared from Veit's face and made room again for a tortured expression.

In the same move, Geralt's uneasiness turned into budding panic and dull nausea. After all that had happened between them in the last few days, he would never have considered that the man might refuse, but now his heart was beating down to his throat. He clasped his fingers tighter around the reins and waited tense for the answer.

Veit glanced past him with sad eyes and laid his head from one side to the other indecisively, over and over again.  
After a moment that seemed to stretch endlessly for Geralt, he pulled the reins violently and brought Lapis to a final halt. "Geralt, I have a confession to make."  
Astonished and with a bitter taste in his mouth, Geralt did the same and stopped Roach. The panic in him increased after this announcement and he watched every single movement of the man seriously, while he got off his horse and wiped his mouth with trembling fingers.  
"Please dismount. I don't want to do this on horseback."

Geralt did as he was told. But before he could get an explanation, Eskel's voice echoed across the street. "IS EVERYTHING OK?" the Witcher shouted out loud to them.  
Geralt turned in his direction and saw that the two of them had turned around in their saddles and watched them in amazement.  
"EVERYTHING OK. RIDE AHEAD. I MUST TALK TO GERALT AND THEN WE'LL COME ALONG," Veit yelled back.  
Eskel nodded affirmatively and turned back to the front, but to Geralt's surprise, Valka turned pale and didn't move. Veit had noticed it too and gave her a penetrating look as if he was trying to tell her something.  
Suddenly Valka turned her horse around and rode quickly towards them. When she was close enough to speak in normal volume again, she bridled Topaz. " Veit... are you planning to...?", she asked in a worried voice.  
He nodded with clenched lips and said: "I have to!"  
She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. "What about...?"  
This time Veit interrupted her immediately. "I've made a decision. I will..., I will clear everything up as soon as we are all safe and sound in the tavern again. I know you don't like it, but..."  
This time, Valka silenced him with a wave of her hand. "It hasn't been my decision for a long time. I... think it's... good. At least I hope so." She took a deep breath again. "And I hope you have thought it through."  
Veit now smiled tenderly in Geralt's direction, who looked completely confused between the two of them and tried to understand what they were talking about.  
"I did, and I have found quite a good reason," he replied to her.  
She also took a look at Geralt and a loving smile lay on her face. Then she nodded to Veit understandingly, let Topaz spin again and rode quickly back to Eskel who was still waiting for her in astonishment.

"What the hell were you talking about and what do you have to confess to me," Geralt now asked quite impatiently.  
Veit sighed softly but instead of starting with an explanation, he stepped closer until he stood right in front of him and pressed a little kiss on his lips. Afterwards he raised one hand, stroked Geralt tenderly over his cheek and only then he started to talk.  
"There is something I have kept from you so far and I sincerely hope that you can forgive me. If you'll allow me to explain why I did it."

Geralt raised his arms helplessly and shook his head. "Now tell me what's going on." Veit nodded, breathed deeply once more and then finally he began to tell.

♦

Right in front of the hideous forest, Valka bridled her horse and squinted her eyes. So far, her efforts to find fresh traces of the Vampire pack had been in vain. If at all, she only found old tracks that she had already noticed during her last exploratory tour.  
The forest seemed neither promising nor inviting, but there was nothing else in the area that could have served as a retreat for the Vampires. So, if they had stayed in this part of the Lindenvale area, it was probably here.

She looked at the three ravens that had left the swarm to follow her. A smile crept to her lips when she noticed that the birds, for their part, were watching her intently instead of jumping around and doing mischief as usual.  
The Witcher swung her leg over the saddle and slid down Topaz's back. With practiced hand movements she released the crossbow from the saddle and hung it around her neck so that it was easy to reach. Then she also released the silver sword from its holder, but when she reached for the steel sword, she hesitated. Then she left it in place on the saddle, shrugging. She would probably have no need for it anyway.

After she had filled her belt pouches with Moon Dust bombs and prepared the blade with Vampire oil, she lovingly patted Topaz on the neck. "Wait for me here, my friend. I'll be back soon."  
She took a few more steps towards the tree line. But just before she passed the outermost trees, she stopped and looked around quickly. When she couldn't see anything noticeable, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.  
After a few seconds she opened her eyes again and a new smile appeared on her face. "Show yourself. I know you are here."

Only a moment later Regis appeared so abruptly and only a few steps away from her that she flinched slightly despite her announcement.  
"I don't think I can sneak up on you without any problems anymore," said the Vampire with a smile.  
Valka's smile widened a little more. "I think we both know that you just didn't make much of an effort to hide your presence."  
Regis returned her smile and then turned to the forest. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany you."  
"With pleasure," she replied happily, but after a short pause she continued more hesitantly: "We haven't had a chance to talk yet."  
Regis nodded slowly, but still stared thoughtlessly through the trees. Then he suddenly jumped out of his thoughts and looked at her seriously. "Before we go in, I want to get something off my chest. Something better not to be mentioned in passing."

Valka hesitated briefly and bit her lower lip, but then she put her blade back into its sheath and looked at him friendly.  
Regis made a face trying to smile but failed and instead stared embarrassed at the floor. "On our way to Toderas, Geralt and Veit asked me... to explain the exact circumstances of our... acquaintance."  
He forced himself to look into Valka's eyes and noticed how her smile died.

"It was certainly not necessary to remind me of my shameful behaviour, I... regret every day what happened then. But this opportunity reminded me again that I never tried to apologize to you."  
Valka wanted to interject something, but with a gesture of his hand he let her know that he wanted to continue speaking. "I am fully aware that I can't say or do anything to make up for what I did to you. But I want you to know that my feelings for you have always been sincere.  
It's a weak and stupid excuse, but I haven't really cheated on you. Not in my mind, not in... my heart. That succubus didn't mean anything to me. You, on the other hand, were everything to me."

"What I did was monumentally... stupid, but I only acted out of a need for nonhuman companionship, not affection or desire. So, it never even occurred to me at the time that it might hurt you. At least not until it was too late." He faltered and looked down again, while Valka absorbed his words.

"I know," she said after a while in a fragile voice and Regis raised his head in surprise. "I had many years to think about it. To ask myself if you, every time I left the city ...  
And I also had time to consider all sorts of reasons for your actions." She ran her hand through her short hair and then laid it down on her cheek. "For a while, these explanations were extremely painful, but at some point, I came to believe what you just told me. I came to the conclusion that it must be very difficult for you to be surrounded only by humans.”

"But still, I couldn't have acted any differently then, even if I had known it at the time. I... would do the same thing again and again." She shook her head and her eyes became moist. "I was so... angry and so hurt. Regis, I couldn't bear to stay with you."

Regis pressed his lips together and nodded sadly.

"And yet I always regretted so much what I had done," Valka continued abruptly and immediately got a surprised look again. "After I overcame the shock and realized that I probably attached too much importance to the matter, I often wished that I had stayed with you. My life would have been better in so many ways. I would have been... happy."  
She took a break, but Regis kept silent, for he knew she would add something.

"In those first years, whenever I thought back, the image of you and her immediately rushed back into my mind. Like you...  
And then I felt again that I couldn't... that I couldn't get involved with you again." She wiped a tear from her face. "But by the time I could put that behind me, too, it was too late. You were nowhere to be found."

" ...We lost our chance, Regis. Both of us."  
She laughed and another tear rolled down her cheek. "A Vampire and a Witcher. Together they live happily ever after in an idyllic little town. It sounds so ridiculous, probably not even Dandelion would think of it." Again, she stopped and took a deep breath to regain her composure.  
"It was wonderful, Regis. It was like a dream for as long as it lasted, but we probably never had a real chance."  
Regis stared at her for a moment, unable to do anything or respond. Only when she could no longer maintain eye contact with him and dried off her face, he finally awoke from his stiffness.  
He quickly bridged the distance between them and embraced the Witcher tightly.

Valka froze at first, but she quickly relaxed, wrapped her arms tightly around him as well and clawed her fingers into the fabric of his vest. For some time, they stood together in silence, in a deep embrace.

Only when the crows, obviously bored with the two of them, started to croak loudly, Valka separated from him and embarrassedly stroked another strand from her face. "We'd better stop dawdling now."

~

The forest was unspectacular as expected. Only the flora turned out to be remarkable, as it was of astonishing ugliness. The trees were crippled and covered with musty moss. The larger bushes all had more thorns than leaves, and the low undergrowth consisted only of meaningless herbs that were not appealing, visually or alchemistically.

They had been walking between the trees for several minutes but had not yet stumbled upon any evidence of Vampire activity. Every now and then one of them squatted to have a closer look at a detail on the ground, but always got up again disappointed after only a few seconds.  
When Valka straightened up once more, she sighed in frustration and glanced over to Regis. "I really hope the other ones have more success than we did."  
He nodded in agreement with her. "I really have to say this whole thing is strange to the core." Pondering, he put one hand on his chin and supported the elbow on the other arm, which he put across his chest. "I don't see any logic in the approach. Of course, I'm no expert in dealing with the lower races, they never interested me much. But I should be able to comprehend the actions of their leader at least to some extent," he mused. "If the whole situation were not of such immense danger for you and the others, then this riddle would really be extraordinarily exciting."

When he looked at the Witcher again, he noticed that she had obviously stared at him with wide eyes during his whole monologue and now quickly lowered her gaze. She cleared her throat embarrassed when she realized that he had caught her.  
"Um, excuse me," she mumbled. "I'll have to get used to you being so... "  
"Old looking?", he finished the sentence for her, but she waved her hands frantically. "Different. I wanted to say different."  
He snorted sarcastically. "Don't be ridiculous. I may not have a reflection, but I am absolutely aware that my condition leaves much to be desired in this and other respects."  
"Very well," she said, trying to hide her smile by looking down at the tips of her boots. "Yes, you look old. But you still look very handsome."  
He shook his head disapprovingly, but the suspicious twitching of the corners of his mouth caused him to examine his own shoes.

After a moment, he embarrassingly stroked the back of his neck with one hand. "Your hair..." he began but stopped when he didn't know how to continue the sentence.  
Anyway, Valka laughed immediately. "Don't you like it? That doesn't surprise me at all. So far nobody has been able to get excited about it. But it's quite practical and they don't get tangled up in the sword handles anymore. And I actually like it."  
Now it was Regis' turn to wave his hands in appeasement. "No, no. I can't say I don't like it. It's just different. It's ...unfamiliar."  
She laughed again. "But it was better before, right?"  
He put his head to one side brooding. "Yes, it was," he said timidly, watching her reaction a little nervously.  
Fortunately for him, she laughed even more with trembling shoulders. "Well, maybe I will let them grow again. Since I'm still braiding Veit's hair, I'm not completely out of practice with it."

The mention of the Witcher steered Regis' thoughts away from her cheerful subject and into a rather gloomy area.  
Actually, he hadn't intended to bring up an unpleasant topic again, but since he didn't know when or if he would get another chance to talk to Valka in private, he dropped his doubts.  
"Ah yes, Veit", he began timidly. "He threw the book at me."  
Valka's smile disappeared again, but her expression remained mild. "I'm sorry, Regis. When I told him about you, I was convinced you were dead and didn't bother to leave out details. And even when years later we heard rumours that you might have survived after all, I didn't expect him to take the subject so seriously. I have made my peace with the past in some ways, and it was certainly not my intention to send an angry fighter after you in defence of my honour."  
Regis waved her off. "It's all right. I understand his bitterness and his anger is just as justified. I also have to say that I got off very well in his judgment. A different man, probably wouldn't have been so indulgent."

"Do you like him?", Valka unexpectedly interrupted and Regis looked at her in amazement. "I... have no reason to dislike him. He is friendly, helpful and if you take the trouble to look behind his mischievous behaviour, you will discover a lot of charisma and wisdom. Maybe even more than you can find in my friend Geralt. ...And of course, he's your child. That's a sympathetic factor not to be underestimated. So, yes. I like him," he replied a little irritated but still smiling.  
"I'm very pleased about that ", she replied quietly.  
"But why is it important how I feel about him?" he asked.  
Her cheeks took on a soft pink blush, but she shrugged. "Your judgment is very important to me. I don't suppose it matters whether it affects my hair or my boy."

She wanted to end the subject by resuming the path between the trees, but Regis was not finished yet. He followed her further through the woods and after a few minutes he picked up his topic again. "After Veit made his plea, he mentioned that your, or rather both of your, lifes haven't been that simple at times."  
Valka stood there like glued to the spot and stiffened up. She didn't bother to turn around, but just turned her head a bit in his direction. "Please, Regis. It's in the past. I don't want to talk about it."

Startled, he took a step back and bowed his head regretfully. "Of course. Sorry, it's none of my business either." He wanted to go on, but Valka watched him for a moment and then turned around, sighing.  
"At least let me tell you this - it wasn't easy at first. Being a Witcher, getting through the winter alone with a child is more than just a challenge. Most people don't exactly scramble to help. And unfortunately, Veit was not always that strong. When he was very young, he was... ill. I feared for a long time that he might die."

She sighed again. "I did what was necessary. It wasn't nice and I don't like to think back on it. But we survived until we were allowed to return to the Fortress, and I was able to find... solutions to all the problems. Even if the price was sometimes very high. But Veit is alive and that's the most important thing."

Regis' shoulders were sloping. Her brief explanation did not give much information, but the bitterness in her voice told him more than enough. When he searched for words to express his regret and apologize, Valka just shook her head grimly. "No, leave it alone. It wasn't your fault. I am the only one to blame for being banished. It was my own behaviour, and I am responsible for it." She looked at him earnestly for a moment, then her expression relaxed, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. "We still have a piece of woodland to search. So, let's talk of something cheerful... ."

Alarmed, Regis looked around as Valka stopped the sentence and reached for the handle of her silver sword. She didn't pull the blade out of its sheath yet, but she was ready to fight and stared past Regis. "What do you see?", he asked worriedly, since he had not noticed any threat.  
She looked back at him with eyes wide open. "Regis, behind you," she whispered.  
Irritated, Regis turned around and tried to understand the reason for her behaviour. He couldn't smell anything unusual, nor did he hear anything other than the rustling of the wind in the leaves and the chirping of birds. The glance over his shoulder also only confirmed his assessment, as he saw nothing but a group of tits, finches and blackbirds sitting in the bushes and on the trees, singing their songs.  
He had almost turned all the way back to Valka to ask her further about the reason for her concern, when he suddenly realized what she meant.

Neither her whereabouts nor her singing was unusual, but every single one of the little songbirds had without exception looked in her direction and stared at them with a sinister look.

Regis groaned annoyed and turned back to the swarm as fast as lightning, but the Bruxa who had been lurking invisibly in the bushes behind them had already jumped forward and pushed her short, sharp claws into Regis' shoulder.  
He flinched, more from surprise than out of pain, trying to grab the squirming and wildly beating Vampire to push her away. Just as he managed to grab her by the waist, a second screaming Bruxa ran out of the bushes behind Valka and jumped on him as well.

He furiously attacked the Vampires with his own claws and inflicted a gaping abdominal wound on one of them. The second one had jumped back in time and built up her deafening scream. But before she could finish it, the invisible force of a Witcher sign hit her in the back and knocked her to the ground.

Valka jumped forward, rammed her silver sword into the Bruxa's back, turned the blade with a powerful jerk to enlarge the wound and then pulled it out again. Even before the Vampire had stopped twitching, Valka changed the weapon into her left hand and grabbed the crossbow with her right.  
She fired a bolt at the other Bruxa, who was already back on Regis despite her stomach wound. The bolt just missed its target and smashed into a tree.

Cursing, Valka dropped the crossbow and reached for a bomb instead. She hesitated for a moment, but since the Bruxa, despite Regis' blows, always straightened up and rushed towards him, he would still be within the radius of the silver dust anyway.  
Grinding her teeth, she threw the bomb at the Bruxa, hoping that it wouldn't be too unpleasant for him.

As the silver dust spread, the Bruxa cried out and abandoned her victim. From the corner of her eye, Valka saw Regis' cover his face with the hands and staggering backwards, but she couldn't afford to take care of him first and ran towards the wildly lashing Vampire instead.

Just before she came within reach with her blade, Valka spun around her own axis in full run and took momentum from below with the blade. When the circle was perfect, the Bruxa's head flew away in a high arc and her twitching body fell to the ground in front of the Witcher.

Immediately Valka turned around again and ran back to Regis, who crouched on the ground still trying to cover his exposed skin. She dropped her sword and got down on her knees beside him. Quickly she brushed as much of the silver dust from his clothes with her hands as she could and then ran her fingers through his hair several times to clean it from the unpleasant substance as well.

After a short time, he stopped trembling, slowly lifted his head out of his arms and looked up at Valka. His skin looked sore in some places, but the redness faded almost completely, right after Valka had noticed it.  
Her fingers unconsciously moved from his hair to his cheeks and she framed his face tenderly with her hands. Her eyes wandered to his slightly opened mouth and the need to lean forward to him overwhelmed her.

Regis gasped almost imperceptibly as their lips met.

But as soon as they touched, Valka flinched violently, looked at him in shock and tore her hands from his face as if she had burned herself.  
Finally she cleared her throat embarrassed and looked away ashamed. "I'm terribly sorry." She wasn't sure if she meant the bomb or the kiss. "Are you... are you all right?"

Regis took a slow breath and nodded affirmatively. Then he straightened up and laboriously brushed his clothes to gain time to sort out his chaotic thoughts. "I'm fine. It was a bit uncomfortable, but the effect was worth the discomfort," he finally replied calmly, pointing to the two dead Bruxae.  
Valka followed his gaze and slapped her hand in front of her forehead. "Oh, damn it. What a sheep I am." She also pointed to the lifeless bodies. "They won't lead us anywhere now."  
Regis smiled comfortingly at her. "I doubt that the option was even available. They were exceptionally persistent. And normally, they would never launch an attack on a higher Vampire. It's indeed... very strange circumstances."

Valka sighed resignedly and then turned back to him. Her gaze dropped to his shoulder where his vest was riddled with bloody holes. "Your shoulder?", she said in shock, but Regis waved smiling. "The wounds have long since healed."  
Valka nodded in shame. "Of course."  
But when she turned her head, a piece of skin became visible below her jaw, where a long scratch glowed bloody red.  
Regis reached out a hand and touched the wound carefully. "But you're hurt."  
Valka shook her head, smiling. "Just a scratch. I must have run too close to a thorn bush. It should be healed almost completely by the time we get back to Lindenvale." She hesitated a moment and looked at the drop of blood on his finger. "You're better with blood now, aren't you?"

Regis waved his head indecisively and looked at the red drop. "I have better control of myself, but the craving is still there." He raised his hand closer to his face and, frowning, sniffed at his bloody finger. "Your blood smells... strange."  
Valka paused briefly and looked at him guiltily. "I used Black Blood."

Regis snorted in disbelief. "Please, dear. I remember very well what your blood smells like when you took that disgusting potion. No, there's something else... a sweet, earthy smell. I'm sure I know that smell, but I can't quite remember." He pondered for a moment and then suddenly his eyes widened in astonishment. "Daucus carota, a rather high dose, I'd say, as intense as your blood smells. Are you feeling well?"

Valka's cheeks suddenly turned pink and she stroked the cheeky streak from her forehead. "It's nothing serious. Please don't worry."

He looked at her irritated and quickly scanned her for any obvious symptoms, but as far as he could tell, she looked very healthy. "If I can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to ask. I may also be able to get you a more effective remedy. Clove root is as effective against nausea as the wild carrot seed you use, but the necessary dose is much lower."  
She smiled at him again and patted his arm. "Thanks Regis, but I'm fine."

Regis wasn't convinced, but left it that way and asked instead: "Do you want to continue searching for clues?" Valka shook her head vigorously. "If the whole pack had been here, we would have found traces long ago. No, I'm afraid the two Bruxae were here by chance. They were probably part of the pack and were distracted by the birds." She shrugged. "Let's go back. Maybe one of the others will call in while we're on our way. At least I hope so."

♦

The atmosphere in Lindenvale's Tavern was split. The lack of attacks visibly lifted the mood of the villagers and they drank and sang merrily. At the table where the Witcher and their friends were sitting things were much more distressed.

The result of their search was very sobering. They had reported one by one and each time any of them finished their story, the mood dropped a little further. Eventually it became clear that, with the exception of the two Bruxae killed by Valka, there was no trace of the pack at all.

Zoltan finally ended the depressing discussion by instructing the innkeeper to bring them lots of booze and with moderate success insisted on delaying the planning for the next day. After a few cups their gloomy faces relaxed and the conversation became more lively again, although they were still talking about their current problem.

Only Regis and Valka stood a little aside and talked quietly to each other.

"Maybe it's really over," Dandelion speculated once again that evening, and again the Witchers shook their heads.  
"Such an amount of lower Vampires don't just disappear. Even if they had left Velen, or at least just the area, there should have been deaths somewhere. No. I think we're experiencing the calm before the storm. They are hiding somewhere and will probably strike soon, and I don't want to exclude that it will be much worse than before", Geralt explained.

"Listen, Dandelion. Maybe you should take the ring and head back to Priscilla." The bard tightened his shoulders in indignation.  
"I have no intention of running away and abandoning you. And besides, this is a golden opportunity to get some new material for my memoirs."  
Geralt shook his head again without understanding. "This is a unique opportunity to make sure that your memoirs won't have many pages. It would really be better if you return to Novigrad before we find our opponent."  
"Geralt is right", Eskel now confirmed him as well. "You have already helped us enough by bringing him here. But in the fight against Vampires you will hardly be of any help to us."  
Dandelion crossed his arms in insult. "But..."  
He interrupted when Veit put a hand on his shoulder with a broad grin. "If it comforts you, I promise I'll make notes of all events and send them to you." The bard looked at him sceptically and thought about the seriousness of his offer. After a moment, he lowered his arms again and sighed softly. "You are probably right. I will consider it." They nodded contentedly and Geralt added: "Don't take too much time with it, though."  
Next to him, Eskel laughed softly in his booze. "Well, as it stands now, we'll have to wait for a miracle first." The others also nodded again, though this time much more gloomily.

Suddenly Zoltan nudged Eskel and pointed his finger to the other side of the room. "Hey, isn't that the guy from Blackbough?" Eskel and the others turned their heads to look in the direction Zoltan was pointing. There now stood a well-dressed man with long blond hair, right next to Valka and Regis at the table, without them noticing him before.  
Astonished, Eskel knitted his eyebrows. "Yes, you are right. Why is he here now?"

Veit hissed loudly and stared at the stranger sincerely. Geralt wanted to ask him about it, but the events on the other side of the room suddenly demanded his attention.  
The noises in the taproom were just quiet enough to follow the conversation and Geralt saw Valka pale as the man greeted her with a charming smile.  
"Hello darling", it sounded through the taproom. "I hope you're okay with me joining you?"  
"Lennard", the Witcher stuttered in disgust, in stark contrast to his obvious good mood. "What are you doing here?"

"Damn it, I'd like to know that, too," Veit now whispered through clenched teeth and continued to stare at the man in a sinister way.

The blond man brushed a speck of dust off his elegant frock coat, while he replied: " The duty leads me here, dear. And if I understood you correctly in Blackbough, we are now pursuing the same goal. Besides, it's only natural that I'd like to support my charming wife."

"His wife?" echoed Eskel and looked at the man sceptically. "Valka is his wife? As in "married"?"  
Veit shook his head without taking his eyes off the man. "No, they're not married. At least not according to human or elvish customs."

The noises in the taproom swelled up, preventing them from following the conversation further from the distance. But they watched as he stroked his hair again, pushing a few strands behind his ear, and Eskel gasped in surprise. "Blimey, I thought the guy was an elf. But his ears are round."

"He's not an elf and he's not human either," Veit replied reluctantly. "He is a Vampire."

They stared at the Witcher in disbelief.  
"Vampire?" they asked almost unanimously.

"Does that mean this is the Vampire we're searching for?" Zoltan added.  
Veit shook his head again. "I doubt that very much. "Lennard is an ass, but it is much more likely that he is here to put an end to all this."  
"And this guy is your mother's... lover?" Eskel asked again. Veit made a grimace and nodded.  
"Oh boy, the woman has a very clear type of prey," remarked Eskel with a frown.

Geralt nodded almost imperceptibly and looked at Regis, who stood pale and stiff in his place and followed the conversation. It didn't escape his notice that Regis' fingers clawed much tighter than usual around the strap of his bag.

Suddenly the Vampire Lennard reached out his hand to take Valkas and he pulled her to her feet. Then he nodded to Regis and turned around and came straight for their group. Valka followed him emotionlessly, still holding his hand.  
When he arrived in front of them, he made an elegant bow and put the charming smile back on his elfishly pretty face. "I am delighted to meet Valka's companions. My name is Lennard Pain de Saindoux.

The Witchers overwhelmed mumbled a few pleasantries, but without introducing themselves. But Lennard didn't mind and stepped forward to give Veit a hug. "Ah, my boy. I'm glad to see you again, safe and sound."  
After a moment he stepped back again and then tugged sceptically at the Witcher's armour jacket. "My goodness, your armour is now nothing but shreds. As soon as I'm done here, I'll have a new armour made for you", the Vampire explained lovingly.

Veit ignored the promise and asked instead: "What are you doing here? You wanted to go back to Ard Carraigh."  
Lennard smiled at him friendly. "Oh, that's all over now. But can't you guess why I'm here? - A bunch of marauding Vampires, drawing unpleasant attention to us."  
Veit started to listen attentively. "So, you're really hunting?"  
The Vampire nodded happily.  
"Have you found a lead on them?" Veit asked further.  
Lennard polished his pointed fingernails on the fabric of his frock and looked at them for a moment. "Of course. I even know exactly where they are."

"What?", the Witchers gasped in unison. "Please tell us," Veit asked him.  
Lennard looked into the excited faces of the men and his smile widened even more, so that his pointed teeth became visible. "They are currently staying in an old estate not too far from here."

"It can't be," Eskel blurted out. "The Reardon Manor? I've searched it myself several times. No Vampire was ever seen there during the attacks."  
"Well, they are there now, I assure you," he replied. "You are welcome to accompany me there tomorrow. With so many vermin, I would be glad of a few Witcher-blades."  
He did not wait for a reaction but took Valka by the hand again and led her away towards the sleeping quarters. The men stared at them in bewilderment.

"Is it true?" Geralt finally asked and Veit shrugged.  
"He usually knows what he's doing", the Witcher replied.  
Eskel shook his head without understanding. "So, what do we do now?"  
This time it was Geralt who shrugged. "I say we go with him tomorrow to the Reardon Manor and see if he had a point."  
The others nodded in agreement and it got quiet for a moment.

"Am I nuts, or is this guy acting like your daddy?" Zoltan asked abruptly and looked up at Veit.  
The Witcher snorted contemptuously. "Well, unfortunately he is."  
"WHAT?", nagged Dandelion. "But you said that..."  
Veit interrupted him with a gesture. "He's NOT my biological father." He stroked his hair and looked nervously at Regis, who was still staring in the direction they disappeared. "I was still a child when they... started... you know. For a long time, he was the only father figure I knew. - Oh, fuck." He stroked his head again. "Even if he's leading us on the right track, why does he have to show up now?"

**~**

Angry, Veit tore open the door of the tavern and stepped out into the cold nights air. He didn't ask for permission, but immediately leaned against the wall near Regis.  
When the Vampire, even after a few moments, didn't say anything about Veit's presence, he took the floor in a voice trembling with rage.  
"He's doing this on purpose," he said without explanation.

But Regis still seemed to understand what he was talking about, and after a moment replied, "And for what reason should he do this?"  
Veit now turned to the side to look at him directly. "Isn't it obvious? He's jealous."  
Regis laughed without joy. "There's no reason for that."  
"There is," Veit replied passionately and grabbed him by the arm. "You can tell yourself what you want, but I know my mother. And I know damn well that she still loves you."  
Regis now turned his head to him as well. "She is with him. She obviously loves him more."

Veit let go of his arm again and instead kept hitting his forehead lightly with his fist. "Regis, he just won't let go of her. Do you really think she'd replace you with another Vampire just like that?"  
Regis raised one eyebrow and replied dryly: "I admit the thought has occurred to me."

Veit grimaced. "If you would only say something, then she would surely...", he didn't finish the sentence, because Regis already shook his head.  
"What makes you think I would be interested in questioning a relationship that has lasted for centuries? And what makes you think I'd even be interested in getting back together with her?"

Veit opened his mouth in protest but needed a moment to formulate a meaningful sentence. Finally, he said in a serious voice: "Then answer me one question." Regis nodded hesitantly.  
"Do you still love her?"  
The Vampire lowered his gaze to the floor and flinched slightly when another soft moaning became audible, like those who had already driven him out of the taproom.  
"Yes," he replied bitterly.

Veit looked at him sadly. "Then don't just give up. Not everything is as it seems at first glance, I swear."  
Regis didn't answer and just kept looking down. Finally, the Witcher nodded and pushed himself off the wall. "I think Geralt is still running ruts in the floorboards. He's not sure if you'd like some company right now, but he's too worried to deal with anything else."

A fleeting smile fluttered across Regis' lips. "I agree with anything that distracts me... He pointed his finger at the building he was leaning against. Veit pressed his lips together and nodded understandingly. The sounds from the small bedroom were also clearly audible to him.

While he was thinking about whether he should go in and get Geralt, Regis decided to ask him a question. "Will you return to Corvo Bianco with Geralt?"  
Veit looked at him in surprise. "Yes. I... we. We'll see how things turn out." He thought about it for a moment and then hesitantly asked: "Do you mind if we...?"

Regis looked directly at him again. "No, of course not."  
Veit smiled in relief and let his gaze slip back to his feet. "Well, ... that's very good."  
"I think Geralt will also do quite well to have someone at his side who doesn't treat him like a dog", Regis added with a smile.

Immediately, the Witcher looked up irritated. "Like a dog? Who treated him like a dog?" Regis now laughed quietly. "I see you haven't had the interesting pleasure of meeting the sorceresses yet." He handed Veit the bottle of mandrake hooch. "I think you need it as much as I do at the moment."

Veit gratefully accepted the bottle.

♦

The events had almost come thick and fast the next morning.  
Shortly after sunrise, the Hansa had already swung onto their horses and they had set off for Reardon Manor. Dandelion had stayed behind without protest and would wait for them in the tavern until they returned. Zoltan insisted on accompanying them and sat behind Eskel on Scorpion as usual, while Regis had borrowed the bored draught horse again. The journey went very quietly, for although Geralt, Eskel and Zoltan were desperate to ask questions about Lennard, the pale and pinched faces of the other three companions indicated that they were not interested in talking. Valka in particular seemed unusually distant and avoided eye contact with any other person. She stayed at the end of her convoy and Geralt suspected that she was trying to stay out of Regis' field of vision.  
Just before they reached their destination, Lennard suddenly appeared next to them to meet them as agreed.

The Vampire had thrown a gloved hand over his shoulder and casually held a huge, metal-plated wooden chest as if it weighed nothing.  
He greeted them with a smile and pointed towards the estate. "The Vampires are still there. Just like I said. If you want my advice, I suggest you dismount, and we save ourselves the theatrics for an attack strategy. "There are so many lower Vampires there, any orderly attack will end in immediate chaos.  
"So, you want to just walk in the door and beat down everything that comes your way?" Regis asked dryly.  
Lennard nodded to him smiling. "Sometimes the simplest plans are the best."

Zoltan coughed artificially to get the Vampire's attention. "How do you actually know the Vampires are here?"  
"Oh, I have my sources. Do not worry, Mr. Dwarf. They're here."  
"And I see you are expecting a fight with a higher Vampire there as well," Regis added.  
Lennard patted the chest tenderly. "Yes, I am confident that I can complete my hunt today."  
"But what...?", Zoltan began, but was immediately interrupted by Lennard. "Later, Mr Dwarf. Then we will have plenty of time to chat. I will go in now and I would be delighted by any companion."

He had barely finished his sentence when he turned and walked happily towards the big gate, whistling.

The others remained a little perplexed and shared some questioning glances. Finally, Geralt took the initiative and drew his already prepared silver sword. "Let's go."

On the way to the gate, Geralt asked Regis: "Am I right? The chest is lined with this Anti-Vampire-Alloy?"  
Regis nodded. "Silver, dalvinite and meteorite steel. Like the wretched cages at Tesham Mutna." Geralt frowned. "Did he have anything to do with this?"  
"In the broadest sense, yes. But it would take more time to explain to you than we have now. especially since Valka could probably tell you more."

"Alright then", Geralt replied and tightened his grip on the hilt. "Let's concentrate on our task."

**~**

Hectically, Regis looked around and assessed the condition of his friends. Then he jumped into the air again and threw himself on another attacking Fleder.  
Only moments after they had entered the seemingly deserted area, all hell broke loose.  
From the buildings and countless hiding places, the Vampires charged at them, as if on command.

Even before the first Katakan had reached them, Regis realized, that they had been expected, obviously. He didn't have time to think about it and rushed into battle together with the Witchers and the dwarf.

The pack was huge and, as announced, it consisted of the most different Vampire races.

Regis had withdrawn a little bit to give the Witchers the opportunity to use their bombs without being affected himself. But despite his distant position, he had no lack of enemies, because as soon as he killed one of them, another one broke away from the group that attacked the Witchers and targeted him.

Despite their opponent’s superiority, they managed to defend themselves surprisingly well. The Witchers jumped, spun and struck incessantly. Moon Dust bombs exploded and covered the place in corrosive silver mist. Once, Eskel cried out when a Bruxa managed to jump on his back and bite his neck, but only seconds later she let go of him screeching and writhing on the floor in pain until the Witcher's sword ended her existence.  
One by one, the Witchers spread over the area and it became increasingly difficult for Regis to keep an eye on them.

Even though there were several dead Vampires at their feet, so many more fought fiercely and the Witchers began to get exhausted.  
Regis decapitated an Alp with his claws and looked around for a place to retreat. Maybe they could find safe place, at least for a moment.  
His eyes fell on the door to a cellar.

His figure faded into fog and flew as fast as he could into the room. After a few seconds he was back and started fighting again. To his relief, his check had shown that there were no other Vampires, so all he had to do now was get close enough to inform the others about the potential place of retreat.  
Veit was closest to him and fought bravely with two Garkains at the same time.

Regis kneeled down slightly at first to avoid the blow of a Katakan and then tried to head towards Veit. The moment he took the first step towards the Witcher, he witnessed in horror how a stone under Veit's foot loosened and he slipped to the side.  
Trying to regain his balance, he neglected his guard and one of the Garkains took the opportunity to thrust his claws through the Witcher's chest.

Regis froze as he watched the Vampire retreat triumphantly and Veit slowly dropped to his knees and then forward to the floor where he lay lifeless.

The horror he felt sent cold shivers down his spine and took his breath away.  
When he could finally move again, he ran towards the injured Witcher and dropped to the ground beside him.

He knew that the situation was hopeless. Even a Witcher would not survive such a wound. With trembling fingers, he reached for his shoulders and turned him onto his back.

Surprised, he noticed that Veit was still breathing. Flat, violent and clearly in great pain, but he was still alive.  
Regis pressed his hands on the wound. A useless effort, because the blood was still pouring out.

 _You must not die_ , he thought in panic. _You are Valka's child. I can't let you die_.

He flinched in terror when he suddenly felt Veit lay a weak hand on his own. The Witcher flutteringly opened his eyelids and looked up at him.  
Regis felt completely powerless. He wanted to say something, to comfort him somehow, but he lacked the words and instead just looked at him sadly.  
Despite the pain Veit managed to smile and he squeezed the Vampire's hand.

"Regis," he whispered in a halting voice. "There's something you have to know."

**~**

Regis put the trembling, bloodstained fingers of his hand against Veit's cheek. The other was still resting on the gaping wound in the Witcher's chest.

He could hear Geralt and Valka running towards them and at the edge of his consciousness he also heard them shouting loud, but he did not pay attention to the meaning of the words, nor did he bother to look up at them. He concentrated only on the yellow cat's eyes that were before him.

Even when Geralt knelt down next to him on the muddy ground, grabbed Veit's hand and laid his other hand comfortingly on the Vampire's shoulder, Regis didn't react to him.  
Instead, his gaze wandered across the face of the man in front of him.

He took his time to memorize the now familiar facial features in every last detail. From the very beginning it had not been difficult for him to discover the resemblance to Valka in the features and now he noticed many more tiny details that reminded him of her. He was similar to her in so many aspects, ... but his eyes, with the exception of the striking colouring, were those of another person.

Regis slowly closed his eyes and struggled to retain his composure.  
When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Geralt. "Did you know?" he asked in a trembling voice.  
Geralt squeezed his shoulder before carefully answering "Only since yesterday morning. I swear."

Regis nodded and his gaze wandered to Valka who was still standing in front of them and looking down at him. Hot tears ran down her face and dozens of questions shot through his head.

Finally, he asked the one who successfully pushed itself to the fore. "Is that the reason you came back to Dillingen later?" Valka nodded violently and wiped her eyes with one hand. "I never wanted to keep this from you. If only I had known before..."

Regis took his eyes off her and looked back at Veit. It cost him enormous effort to take his hand off the Witcher's chest and look at the spot the Garkain had pierced with his claw. Despite his efforts, he could no longer hold back the tears that were burning in his eyes.  
He gazed at the tattered bones and muscles that were regenerating at an incredible speed and were immediately covered with flawless, pale skin.

The hand that used to be on Veit's cheek now moved under his head and he desperately embraced the Witcher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~  
> Hello? Is anybody out there?  
> 


	12. The greatest treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and the comment. ♥  
>  I've had so much work to write and translate this fanfiction, I'm so excited every time I get a little feedback. 
> 
> ~★ ★ ★~

Hectically, Regis led the Witchers behind the building.  
He instructed them to wait with a wave of his hand and at first, he walked down the steep stairs to the basement alone. A brief examination confirmed to him that the premises were still free from any Vampire activity and he went back to the bottom of the stairs to call the others down.

He didn't like the fact that they were now practically standing with their backs to the wall, but since there was only one entrance, they didn't have to fear an attack from behind, at least. Moreover, the stairs were so narrow that all attacking Vampires would be forced to come down one by one. In this case they would have to deal with several silver blades at once.  
The cellar offered them a certain minimum of protection and the only alternative to continue to stay in the overgrown yard as if on display was much more unpleasant.

Zoltan was the first to come down the stairs. In addition to his own axe, he now carried Veit's silver sword, which the Witcher had lost when the Garkain attacked.  
He was followed by Valka, who walked backwards to support Veit, who was still groggy. Eskel and Geralt were the last two to go.

They closed the doors of the cellar and cast a sign on it several times.  
Regis couldn't see the gesture they were performing, but the golden shimmer that lay over the wood showed him that it had to be a magical shield. It wouldn't be able to stop the Vampires, but at least the noise they made when breaking the shield should warn them in time to get ready for battle.

"Did we drive them away?" Zoltan asked hopefully, and let himself fall to the ground with his legs crossed.  
"Unlikely," Valka replied. "I rather think they have retreated to regroup."  
Regis nodded in agreement as he walked towards Eskel and loosened the Witcher's hand from the bite mark on his neck. "If I'm not very much mistaken, we should each have killed two or three of them."  
Zoltan snorted with amusement. "On average. I myself dealt them all, but I only killed one." He winked at Regis, who cleaned Eskel's wound with a soft cloth and a strong-smelling tincture. "Even in the tumult, I saw you kill at least four of those disgusting things, with my own eyes. So, there are probably even more. My respects, Mr. Barber.”  
Regis gave him a little smile that flashed his teeth and bowed his head towards the dwarf. "Unfortunately, this means we have at least eighteen or twenty enemies left to lurk somewhere out there." He reached into his pocket and drew out a roll of fresh bandages, but Eskel shook his head and in turn pulled a small bottle of red potion from his belt. Regis nodded and put the bandages back in his pocket.  
"I wonder what made them suddenly disappear? Their chances were not bad. If they had just kept going, it would probably have turned out badly for us", Geralt noticed while looking around. After a moment he sighed and crossed his arms. "Where did this Lennard actually go? I lost sight of him right after we entered the manor."  
The others shrugged and he looked at Valka, who stood lost in thought at the bottom of the stairs, chewing on her lower lip. "Valka?", he addressed her directly this time and she flinched in shock. "Sorry, I had to think about something. What did you say?"  
Geralt raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Do you know where Lennard has disappeared to?"  
She stared at him for a moment, then took a deep breath and, with a sigh, pushed it out again. "I don't know. I've asked myself the same thing. He's usually much more... protective."  
"Maybe he thought we were in good hands", Veit suggested.  
Valka thought about his words for a moment, then she slowly said: "Maybe."  
"What about the Vampire he was looking for?" Eskel suggested. "Maybe he tried to escape and he went after him."  
"Possible," replied she monosyllabically and bit her lip again, then she asked Regis directly: "Could you detect the presence of another higher Vampire?"  
He shook his head. "No, but unlike Lennard, I'm far from my best condition. I can't rule out the possibility that I simply missed him."  
"In any case, we have a moment of peace and quiet and we should use it as long as it lasts. Because I doubt that we will have the luck to walk out of here without another fight", Geralt spoke again. "We have to prepare the blades again, and a few potions won't hurt either."  
"At least we have a small success," Eskel added and drew his sword out of its sheath again. "We've found the pack and decimated it properly after all."

**~**

Regis puckered his brows anxiously as Veit sat down on a wooden box with a painful face and pressed a hand on his chest. The nasty wound had long since healed and only a slight red shimmer on the skin and the bloody, torn hole in his already worn armour jacket, even revealed that the Witcher had been injured recently.

"Is it quite normal for you that the pain continues even though the healing is complete," he asked the Witcher and crouched down beside him.  
Veit did not look at him, but nodded in agony. "Always. Depending on how much I got, at least a few minutes. I suppose I'll have to deal with that for a couple of days." He raised his head to look at him now and tried to grin. "That was really... unpleasant."  
Regis couldn't return the grin and kept looking at him worried. He had the feeling that he should say something. Something with substance that reflected the extent of his feelings and would give Veit an impression of his feelings about what the Witcher had just told him, but he couldn't find the right words. He wasn't even sure if he had understood everything completely.

Finally, Regis sighed sadly. "Veit, after this is over I would like to talk to you. Of course, only if you're fine with it, too."  
The Witcher took his hand off his chest in astonishment and supported himself on the box, leaning against it with a wry smile. "We will talk." He hesitated for a moment and then added, "Just so you know, I would have told you anyway. Even if I wasn't injured by the Garkain." He hesitated again, and then looked down shyly. "I never told anyone but Geralt. Unless you want nobody to know that..." He interrupted as his voice began to falter, and again Regis knitted his eyebrows in wonder.  
He again put his hand on the Witcher's and waited until Veit looked at him, then he said lovingly: "I really can't think of any reason why this should be concealed. I only wish..." His voice faltered now, too. "I only wish I had found out earlier. I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to..." He faltered again, finally leaving the sentence unfinished.  
Veit smiled relieved and relaxed visibly, but immediately flinched again in pain. "This is - REALLY - damn unpleasant."  
This time Regis couldn't help but smile and quickly looked down to hide it. His gaze dropped on a piece of glass lying on the ground.

A little astonished, he grabbed it and looked at it more closely.  
It was an almost blind mirror shard that dull but reliable reflected the space behind him, excluding him completely. A thought came up to his mind and he turned around with the shard and looked into it again.  
This time the reflection not only showed the room behind him, but also Veit's smiling face, which watched him during his experiment. Astonished, Regis let the shard sink and turned to the Witcher again.  
Veit said no word, but with an elegant gesture of his hand he lit several of the old torches hanging on the stone walls and some low candles standing on the boxes and chests. Regis immediately understood what the Witcher wanted to show him and a smile came to his lips as he spoke reverently. "You remarkably connect two worlds that could hardly be more different."

The Witcher replied nothing and just kept smiling at him until a snorting sound was heard on the other side of the room.  
The others had interrupted their efforts to get ready for battle again and watched them curiously.  
"It's really unbelievable", Geralt explained shaking his head. "We walked around for weeks in sunny Toussaint and I never noticed."  
"What are you talking about?", Zoltan wanted to know by surprise.  
"And I've spent hours preaching to you again and again that you should pay attention to that", Valka replied with a smile, without mentioning the dwarf and Geralt shrugged embarrassed.  
"One pass by so many people every day, it seems to me a bit time-consuming to keep paying attention."  
Regis laughed softly. "And it could have served you well when we first met."  
Geralt leaned forward and supported himself with one arm on his knee. "When we first met, I had other things on my mind."  
Regis laughed again. "I guess that's also true for Veit's case."  
This time Valka and Veit laughed as well and Geralt turned his head to the side. "You'd like that."

"That sounds really interesting, but would someone tell me what you're talking about?", Zoltan spoke again. This time he thought he was heard, but instead of giving an answer, the others gave each other hesitant looks.  
But before anyone could decide to enlighten the dwarf, Eskel put his sword aside, stood up and went to Veit's silver sword, which was still lying where Zoltan had put it down. He grabbed the sword carefully by the blade and looked at the hilt thoughtfully.  
Unlike usual, not only the hilt of this sword was wrapped with leather, but also the parry bars and about half of the pommel. He looked up and stared at Veit with fascination while he gave Zoltan a short answer. "He has no shadow."  
"What?", the dwarf asked irritated.  
"Veit has no shadow... and he avoids contact with silver," Eskel repeated.  
Zoltan blinked in surprise and bobbed his foot indignantly. "And what does that mean?"  
This time Eskel turned directly to Zoltan and looked at him forcefully. "It means that Veit is not a Witcher. He is a Vampire."

"A Vampire?", Zoltan repeated in horror and stared at the Witcher in turn, dumbfounded.  
Veit raised his hands and smiled at the others. "That is not quite right. I am a Witcher indeed. I have gone through the trail of the grasses and the mutations just like any other Witcher. I'm just sort of a... Vampire myself."  
The dwarf stomped on the stone floor with the handle of his axe. "And how can you be sort of a Vampire?"  
"Oh, Zoltan, my mother is a Witcher, my father is a Vampire. I am half Witcher and half Vampire. To be more precise, I'm only a Witcher since the trail of the grasses, before that I was more of a... weird human."  
Eskel laughed softly. "And Valka actually explained it to us only yesterday."  
She winked at him. "Very good, you got it."

"Great", Zoltan replied brashly. "Me not. As far as I remember, she explained to us that Witchers only can do it with each other...you know."  
Valka stood up with a sigh and leaned against a supporting beam. "I said that only species with a similar metabolism can reproduce and that we are not compatible with most of them. ...until I realized who Veit's father was, I had no idea I could carry a Vampire's child."  
"You mean until you got pregnant?" Eskel hooked it up and Valka shook her head.  
"No, unfortunately not. When Veit was born, he was a normal child. I had no reason to believe that his father wasn't one of the Witchers who..." She interrupted and stroked her hair in embarrassment. "Let's drop it. Anyway, Veit didn't show any vampiric characteristics until he was about five years old. And even then, I still couldn't believe it. Higher Vampires are so different from all other species, the idea alone is ridiculous. I knew that higher Vampires sometimes have Human lovers, but in such a union no child ever came into being. Who could have guessed that the very mutations that devide us from the other species would make us compatible with Vampires? With time passing by the signs became too obvious and I had to face the truth."

Zoltan shook his head in bewilderment. "And I thought the world couldn't get any wackier, and now here we are. And with us a... Vampcher... or Witchpire."  
Veit rolled his eyes. "Thanks, I'll stick with Witcher."  
The dwarf ignored his objection and scratched his bearded chin. "That should explain why you survived the attack of that disgusting beast. I had expected you to be pushing up the daisies." He pointed at Regis. "But he's a tough guy, too. Even if he doesn't seem much like it." Suddenly Zoltan froze in mid-movement and looked back and forth between Regis and Veit. "You said Lennard isn't your real father. Are you saying that ...?"  
Veit nodded momentously. "Yes, that’s what i'm saying. Regis is my father."

"Who would have thought it?" Zoltan said happily and went up to Regis to give him a friendly nod. "The barber has a son. Congratulations."

"Zoltan." Geralt considered it appropriate to calm the dwarf's enthusiasm. "He had a son for two hundred and seventy years and only knew about it for barely ten minutes. Better stay a little cautious."  
"Oh", said Zoltan, and his smile slowly died. "I didn't mean..." He interrupted and cleared his throat embarrassed. Then he turned to Geralt. "But you've known it for a while, haven't you?"  
The Witcher shrugged. "He only told me yesterday."  
Zoltan nodded thoughtfully and scratched his chin again. "Why?"

Geralt stared at the dwarf wide-eyed at this question and his cheeks turned pink. "Um... It doesn't really matter, we should really be discussing..."  
Regis interrupted him with a hand gesture. "That's all right. I just have to figure out what it means myself first." Suddenly his expression was clouded by sadness and he let his shoulders droop. "And I have to accept that there's another aspect of my life that I can only regret," he whispered in a fragile voice.  
With a few steps Valka was with him and gently put her hand on his arm. "I am so terribly sorry. If only I had known then, that I was pregnant, I would certainly..."  
Regis shook his head, grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly. "No, dear. I've ruined it. It's not your fault." He laughed cheerlessly. "At least now I understand how you got Lennard."

Valka winced and slowly pulled her hand back. "Lennard, yes. It's complicated. More complicated than it looks at first sight."  
"So why don't you enlighten us? Because honestly, as happy as you were when he appeared in Lindenvale, I'm surprised that you haven't tied a stone to his foot and sunk him into the sea yet," Zoltan explained and Veit laughed out loud.  
"Well observed," said the Witcher and grinned cheekily at his mother. "I'm convinced that she doesn't like him that much, but normally she's not so obviously hostile. In fact, most of the time you could even assume that she likes him at least a little bit. But the presence of a certain other Vampire has..."  
"Veit, please be quiet," Valka interrupted him embarrassed. "You know how much I owe him. I won't disrespect it or ignore the debt I'm in."

Veit did not stop smiling, but when he answered, the expression seemed icy instead of amused. "Didn't you teach me that the basis for a relationship is love? There was never any question of guilt."  
Valka turned pale and covered her face, by turning away from them.

After a pause, Veit looked into the confused faces of the others and sighed. "Lennard saved my life." He looked back at Valka who had retreated to a darker corner. "Do you want to tell it?"  
She shook her head and stared to the ground at her feet.  
"So, it really was the initiation," Regis murmured softly and Veit nodded affirmatively.  
"I don't remember it anymore, but after what Valka told me, when I was about five years old, I suddenly lost weight, extremely. I became sick and weak and that although I showed no sign of any known illness.”  
“Mother took me to any doctor, surgeon or pellar she could find. But even if they agreed to examine me and didn't just chase her away, they couldn't find the cause either.” He paused and cleared his throat apprehensively. "A few months passed, in which I grew weaker and weaker, but then she got to the bottom of the cause. A group of bandits ambushed us and mother was forced to kill them.” He took another break, this time to take a deep breath. "It was the first time I showed vampiric behaviour."  
Geralt pushed himself off the wall against which he was leaning. "You drank their blood?"  
Veit nodded. "That... and I changed. I transformed myself.”

“After her first shock had subsided, she put me on the horse in front of her and we rode as fast as we could to Dillingen. Why? I didn't find out until many years later." He gave Regis a meaningful look. "Unfortunately, she could find neither you nor a trace of you then, but in the meantime, another week had passed and my condition had worsened further."

He interrupted when Valka stepped into the light again and let her gaze wander over the round until she got stuck on Regis. "He was so weak by then, that I feared he wouldn't survive the night," she continued in a low voice. "In my desperation I followed the rumours of some travellers who told of a Bruxa who was supposed to live in the woods around the Yaruga.”  
“And then, for once, fate treated me well. I found the Bruxa and obviously she recognized Veit for what he was, because instead of attacking us, she looked at him curiously and then disappeared between the trees. Of course, I didn't know what she was up to and I almost despaired. But a few hours later, Lennard suddenly appeared before me."

"If you remember, I told you I had met him before. In fact, he was the first higher Vampire I ever met, although I didn't know his name then either.”  
“Anyway, he said that the Bruxa had visited him and told him that a female Witcher was travelling with a young Vampire and was looking for help. He became curious at that time and luckily, he decided to have a closer look.”  
“He just took a look at Veit and explained to me that higher Vampires normally don't need to drink blood, but once they reached a certain stage of growth, they regularly need some blood from other higher Vampires, usually from their parents, until they are physically grown up. A phenomenon of the post-conjunction period. Apparently young Vampires in this world become very sick and the blood of the stronger, adult ones can help. A Vampire child wouldn't normally die without the blood, but Veit is only a half Vampire.”  
She grimaced. "A fact that Lennard was fascinated by from the beginning."

"After receiving extensive reports from me, he offered to help. But not for free. To compensate for the few drops of blood he'd give Veit, he wanted my blood. Of course, I agreed immediately and Lennard really kept his word. He gave Veit some of his blood and waited a couple of hours together with me. And indeed, Veit soon felt better again. Then he demanded his reward and to my surprise he was content with a few sips." Sighing, Valka interrupted and played with a piece of rope for a moment, lost in thought.  
"But the little amount of Vampire blood wasn't enough and Veit needed it regularly. He even needed it every few weeks until he was full-grown. So, I made an agreement with Lennard. "We meet regularly, he gives my boy his blood and I give him mine."

It rustled as Eskel shifted his weight forwards and some old straw fell to the ground. "But it didn't stay that way, did it?", the Witcher asked sceptically.  
Valka shook her head. "No. After a few months, he said at one day, that he didn't feel like drinking blood and that he would like it if I gave him some other... pleasure instead." Valka lowered her gaze in shame.

"My son's life was at stake. I couldn't refuse." Again, she was silent for a moment and the blush of shame that rose in her face was clearly visible even in the dim candlelight.  
"At first it seemed as if it was a one-time thing, because at the following meeting and the one after that he wanted blood again. But then another day came when his appetite demanded something else. From this time, the demanded reward for his help changed constantly, until after about two years he didn't even want blood anymore.”

“Lennard was never rude, never asked for anything I didn't like and he spent much more time with us now. Instead of meeting only every few weeks, he usually accompanied us for weeks. Apart from the winter time, which we could now spend again in the fortress.”  
“Lennard taught Veit, told him about the history, the culture of the Vampires and ... he played and raved with him. It wasn't long before he saw in Lennard a father substitute and found real affection for him."

Embarrassed, Veit scratched with his feet on the ground and his mother looked at him sadly.  
"You were a child and he was very good to you. It was only natural." Sighing she shifted her weight and put one hand on her cheek. "I don't love him, I never did, but considering what he did for Veit and because of the relationship they had built up, I agreed when he asked me to promise to become his mate in Veit's fifteenth year. Forever."

Geralt gasped in surprise. "Forever? That means..." Valka looked up again, but this time her face was serious and grim. "This means that I will neither betray him nor leave him."

"But he should never have made you that promise. You don't love him," Veit protested and gestured with his arms so wildly that he flinched in pain immediately afterwards.  
"It doesn't matter. I promised to stay with him and I will, no matter how I feel about it," Valka said slightly angry. "It is sweet of you to try to make me happy, but it is useless. If I would leave him, it would not make me happier. I would only have to struggle additionally with the knowledge that I had broken my word. Something Lennard never did."  
"And what about him?", Veit asked bitterly, pointing to Regis, who immediately stiffened in fright. "It's obvious that you both still have feelings for each other. Don't you think that you would have the chance to be happy together? When I think back on how you reacted when Dandelion told the story of Vilgefortz..."

Valka shook her head sadly. "How else should I have reacted? I had to listen to an extremely detailed story that describes how the man I once loved died in agony in the magical flames of a lunatic mage. She pressed her lips together and looked shyly at Regis.  
Finally, she sighed so deeply that it almost sounded like a sob. "Veit, can't you understand that I also wish I could spend my life at the side of someone I really love? But I no longer have that possibility. I can only try to make the best of what I have."  
She looked at him intensely and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "But maybe you should ask yourself if you're not wronging Lennard. Until that night in Novigrad, you never said a bad word about him or questioned him in any way. You respected him that much, you never asked a single question about your real father."

Veit laughed bitterly and rose from the chest to get closer to Valka. "I didn't know any better and making idiotic decisions seems to be a kind of family tradition. That evening opened my eyes and I saw Lennard how he really is for the first time. "Tell me, Mother - what kind of a man is blackmailing himself into a family instead of starting one?"

"You know that he cannot have one of his own," Valka replied palely, but Veit waved away immediately.  
"He may not be able to find a spouse among the Vampires, but there are enough Humans or Elves. Some woman will surely be desperate enough to get involved with him joyfully. And raising other people's children was apparently no problem for him either. In any case, it would be news to me that I've had a sibling for the last two centuries."

After Veit had made his emotional plea, the two stared at each other silently and with pale faces. After a few moments they obviously remembered that they were not alone in the cellar and they turned to the others who were watching them silently with wide eyes.  
Veit cleared his throat embarrassed and Valka turned her red head to the side when Zoltan raised a hand with a tense expression on his face. "I have a question."

Geralt gave the dwarf a scowl, but he just ignored him. "Why can't this guy have a Vampire bride?"  
Valka stiffened up a little indignantly, but she answered anyway. "He's a champion. The other Vampires avoid him."  
"A champion? Like the champion of Tesham Mutna?", Geralt asked in surprise and looked at Regis.  
The Vampire nodded. "I am really impressed how much you kept in mind, my friend. The champions are a tradition we owe to Khagmar as well. There are only a few of them, usually only one, rarely two per tribe. The elders choose those who have proven that they not only follow our code perfectly, but also always act in the spirit of the tribe. Most of the time their task is just to remind young, high-spirited Vampires in a friendly manner of the consequences of their actions. But if a Vampire goes over the top in such a way that there is a risk that instead of killing each other, Humans and Non-Humans could join forces and challenge us, then the champion really takes action.”  
“They capture the Vampires and lock them in cages for centuries or, as apparently in Lennard's case, in a chest."  
He interrupted when Valka snorted. "Lennard called it: giving them time to think it over.”  
"Since Khagmar's time, this has only been necessary very few times, and when the Vampires were released, they have always kept satisfactorily quiet and served as a deterrent to other Vampires.”  
“So, you could say that the champion enforces our justice. But this role is a bit schizophrenic, because on the one hand it is a great honour to be entrusted with this task by the elders, on the other hand it means exile. As Valka said, champions are shunned by the other Vampires. It's no different with us than it is with other species - no one wants to be friends with the killjoy."

The crackle of the torch was clearly audible as they pondered Regis' explanation. It remained silent until Eskel moved a little restlessly and came up to Veit's blade, which leaned against the wall next to him and knocked it over.  
Before it hit the floor, he had bent down, caught it and leaned against the wall again. The brief distraction was apparently enough for him to sort out his thoughts, for when he turned his attention back to the others, another question that was a burning issue. "The subject is rather private, but I can't help wondering why in well over two hundred years you haven't ... still ...?  
"Why didn't I have another child?" Valka finished his sentence. "A good question. If it had gone to Lennard, there would have been at least one more child."

"DAUCUS CAROTA. The wild carrot," Regis suddenly exclaimed loudly. "Of course, how stupid I am."  
Valka nodded to him with a smile. "Fortunately, Lennard's knowledge of herbs and plants is limited to the fact that the green part belongs above the soil."  
"I don't quite understand," said Eskel. "Wild carrots are used for nausea and other stomach ailments."  
"That's right," Regis confirmed. "And that assumption also led me down the wrong path. I no longer remembered that women with high doses, taken on the right days of their cycle, can effectively prevent pregnancy." He turned directly to Valka. "Then you made a conscious decision not to have a child with him?"  
She looked him straight in the eye when she answered. "Of course, I did. Because regardless of my decision, Veit is right about one thing. No one who is completely sane blackmails himself a family."

**~**

The cellar was again maintained in silence as they started to prepare for the inevitable fight. Only the occasional whirring of a grindstone or the soft plop of a stopper broke the silence. The atmosphere was heavy, almost tangible and divided. Some of them were still brooding over what they had just heard and the rest were also worried because the Vampires were waiting for them.

Veit had taken several potions and now he stretched and twisted himself to be able to estimate the healing progress of his body. He had just reached the point where he was satisfied to take up his sword again, which Eskel had prepared for him in the meantime, when he froze in mid-movement and turned his head to the side to listen. After a moment, he whispered, "He's back."

The others were immediately on their feet and ready to fight.  
"Who?", Zoltan wanted to know.  
Veit was already walking towards the stairs to peer through the narrow gap between the two door panels. "Lennard. I'm pretty sure it's him and he's alone."  
Everyone else followed him to the stairs and watched him curiously. "Yes", Veit finally confirmed. "It's really him. No one else in sight. Only Lennard and that damned chest."

"Is there anyone in it?" Eskel asked curiously.  
Veit shrugged, "I don't know. Let's ask him." He stretched out his hand to break through the already weakening barrier, but stopped when Valka suddenly shouted loudly.  
"Wait!" She jumped up the stairs and squeezed herself next to Veit to get a glimpse through the gap as well. She stared outside for a while and stretched her neck to see as much of the surroundings as possible. At first it seemed as if she was relaxing, but suddenly she flinched back as if burned and stared at the door in disbelief. "This can't be true," she murmured almost silently and slapped a hand in front of her mouth.

"What's going on?", Geralt shouted quietly up from the foot of the stairs. "The other Vampires?"  
Veit shook his head helplessly and looked out again. After a moment he turned around again, confused. "I only see Lennard." He grabbed Valka by the shoulder and shook her slightly. "What is it? What did you see? Did you see the pack?"

Her face was horrified when she looked directly at him. "The Vampires are gone." She looked down again and muttered softly to herself. "I cannot believe he would go this far."  
Veit shook her again to get her attention back. "What are you talking about? Why would the Vampires be gone?" There were tears in her eyes when she spoke this time. "Look at his feet."

He stared at her with irritation, but then did as she said. He looked again through the rift and saw that Lennard had already noticed him and waved in his direction. He looked down at the Vampire and noticed next to the chest, right in front of his feet, a badly battered Garkain. He clipped and turned back to Valka. "He killed the other Vampires?"  
Valka didn't react, just kept staring at him blankly with tears in her eyes.

Then suddenly he understood what she meant and stumbled down a few steps in horror. Probably he would have fallen if Regis hadn't supported him. "That... that can't be. He would never..."

Anger spread in him and Veit rushed up the stairs again. This time he didn't let himself be held back by Valka's frightened shouts and brutally destroyed the barrier. He threw open the doors of the cellar and stormed out, towards Lennard.  
For a moment everyone stared at him perplexed, then they followed him up the narrow stairs.

Outside, they witnessed Veit building up furiously in front of Lennard and putting his fists to his hips. "Why did you kill that Vampire?"  
Lennard smiled at him crookedly, sat on the chest and crossed his legs. "Aren't we here to kill the Vampires?" He asked casually.  
Veit puffed angrily. "I mean, why do you disappear during the fight and then finish off this particular Garkain on your return?"  
"I thought that was obvious. I will not allow my family to be harmed."

Veit flinched and stared at him. "That your family will be harmed...?" He glanced over his shoulder to look at Regis and then closed his eyes sadly for a moment.

When he turned back to Lennard, his gaze was cold and fixed. "There wasn't another higher Vampire here, was there?"  
Lennard's smile became cruel and so wide that his sharp teeth were clearly visible. "Not before, but now there is." He stood up again and with one sweeping motion opened the lid of the chest.  
"As I said before, I will not allow MY FAMILY to be harmed!"

Geralt stepped next to Valka and snarled between clenched teeth: "What is this guy talking about?"  
She continued staring at the blond Vampire with a pale face, while she answered him. "It was him. Lennard was in command of the lower Vampires."

"WHAT?", Geralt replied stunned. "Why? What's the point of terrorizing Velen?"  
"Basically, it's just a trap," Valka explained. "All these attacks were to get the right people here.”  
"And the right people in this case, are us?", Geralt paused.  
"Probably it was mainly about me", Regis added.

"Oh, very good." Lennard clapped his hands sarcastically. "You don't really think I'd let you take my wife and boy away from me just like that. You had your chance and you threw them away." He laughed hysterically. "You have no idea what you've lost. Look at yourself. You could have had a mate and son and instead you have nothing. You're just a shadow, the pathetic caricature of a Vampire. But I know what family means, and I will not give it up without a fight."  
Valka was covering her mouth again. "You have gone completely insane... Lennard, I didn't break my promise."

"Maybe not yet," he snarled at her. "But when Veit came to me and told me he wanted to find his real father," he spat out the words, "I knew I had to act. It wasn't very difficult either. Veit was kind enough to inform me that Emiel Regis is a close friend of a Witcher." He waved one hand theatrically. "People talk and it's common knowledge that he's only too happy to sacrifice himself. A few attacks, a few hundred dead, and our Witcher's attention was caught. So, it was only a matter of time before Emiel Regis would show up. Well, I admit, I didn't expect you, Valka and this other Witcher to show up here as well. But it doesn't matter anymore."

"The fear of loneliness really gets to you, doesn't it?" Regis asked the hysterical Vampire calmly.  
"Shut up!" Lennard hissed at him.  
Regis ignored him and turned to Valka. "Like my friend Dettlaff, Lennard's strong side is group instinct. Not only does it give him the gift of commanding lower Vampires, it also awakens in him a strong urge to belong to someone. A pack, a family. His calling as a champion made him an outsider in the tribes and at the same time prevented him from surrounding himself with lower Vampires. Because in larger groups they always attract too much attention. Far more than the tribe would allow."  
"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"  
Regis continued to ignore him. "I sincerely regret you, but..."  
Lennard made an angry leap forward. "You'd better feel sorry for yourself. Because I HAVE a family and you'll spend the next few centuries in that chest, and then when you've recovered from the exertions of regeneration, I'll put you back in it."

Now Valka stepped forward as well and stared at the Vampire in bewilderment. "You've been feeding humans to Vampires because you're jealous? This is madness. And I'm certainly not gonna let you lock him up."  
"You will stay out of this and you'd better remember who raised your son in the end," Lennard nagged her again.

"Originally, the pack was supposed to knock you down," he said to Regis again. "But you did surprisingly well and to my chagrin, I had to teach them a lesson, because contrary to my strict orders, Veit was injured."  
While he spoke, he slowly walked towards Regis and his form changed into vampiric shape. "So, I'm afraid I'll be forced to put you out of action myself. But this way it's just a little more personal..."

Regis also changed his shape and the Witchers drew their swords, alarmed.  
They were getting ready to defend him and to fight back the attacks when Lennard gained momentum... and suddenly stared confusedly at his chest from which a bloody silver blade stuck out.

The angry Vampire turned his head to see who dared to attack him. "You insect, I'll crush you," he hissed at Zoltan, who hastily released the hilt of Veit's silver sword and stumbled a few steps back. "Um, friends... could one of you possibly...?"  
Eskel, Valka and Geralt jumped forward to catch Lennard before he could pounce on the dwarf himself. But before any of them could get close enough, a vague shadow rushed past them and attacked Lennard.

They stopped as if they were rooted to the ground and watched in consternation as Veit repeatedly struck Lennard, leaving deep, bloody wounds.

When his chest and stomach seemed to be just a bleeding mass, Lennard fell to his knees and Veit stopped his attacks.  
"Why?", the Vampire asked stunned as the blood gushed from his mouth.

"You know Lennard, there was a time when I really loved you like a father," Veit replied coldly.  
He pushed Lennard forward to be able to reach the hilt of the sword and draw it out of the Vampire's back.  
"But now you are just a poor madman for whom I have nothing but contempt. No one deserves to rot in this chest as much as you do."  
"My son," the Vampire whispered anxiously as Veit raised the sword high above his head and then lowered it with a powerful blow to the Vampire's neck.  
"I am not your son."

Veit dropped the sword and stared for a moment, horrified by his act, at the decapitated body at his feet.  
Only when it started to twitch and the first signs of regeneration became apparent, he awoke from his rigidity, grabbed Lennard's head and threw it into the chest. Then he panically grabbed the body and put it inside as well.  
Unfortunately, the chest turned out to be too small to fully contain the Vampire, but while he was still trying to figure out how to get around it, Zoltan stepped in again and solved the problem pragmatically with a few quick blows.

Veit's heart was pounding like mad and his fingers trembled as he let the lid of the chest close and settled down quickly.  
He buried his head in his hands and wished he could forget this sight forever.

After a moment of shocked hush, the entered silence was interrupted by a soft gurgle.  
Astonished, everyone detached themselves from the horrifying events and turned their gaze to Regis, who held one hand in front of his mouth and was obviously desperate for his self-control.  
Shortly after he had apparently regained his composure, he had to laugh again and his efforts to hide it made him grimace.

Stunned, Valka stared at him. "Do you think this is funny?"  
Regis shook his head, gurgling. "I'm terribly sorry," he said laboriously. "I, of course, know it's terrible but... " He pointed at Veit.

Valka apparently understood what he was alluding to, because her sinister face smoothed and immediately after that she also moved her mouth in amusement.

"I am... really sorry, but... Veit... «, chuckled Regis and everyone else looked at Veit with irritation.

The Witcher was still sitting on the lid of the chest.  
His ears were long and pointed, his face looked bat-like, with brown patches that spread from his hairline, his actually bright yellow cat eyes, were blood-red and the tips of his fingers had claws instead of fingernails.

Astonished, Geralt noticed that Veit showed amazing similarity to Regis in his vampiric shape.  
But unlike his friend, whose tears were running down his face by now, his features were more moderate, his teeth and claws, although still impressive, were much shorter.  
Geralt suspected that these features were therefore not so noticeable in his Human form.

When Regis gurgled loudly once more, Veit snorted indignantly. "It's okay," he muttered and pushed his lower lip forward, pouting. "I know that I have claws like a girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> We're nearly there.  
>  Only two chapters left. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone yet.


	13. Everything is going to be fine in the end – Part 1 of 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are. The chapter before last.  
>  Thanks to Covid-19 and the closed gyms, I had more time available and was able to update earlier.
> 
> Thanks for the comments and kudos. I was very touched by the feedback for the previous chapter.
> 
> ~★ ★ ★~

Valka accelerated her pace while circling the dilapidated barn. She even almost ran the last few steps that separated her from the surrounding brushwood.  
She had barely reached the first larger bush when she stopped, bent forward and threw up.  
Her last meal had been hours ago, and her stomach was empty. She spat bitter bile and the gag reflex still persisted. Repeatedly she cramped up until the exertion brought her to her knees.

Behind her the gravel crunched softly and indicated to her that someone was approaching her. Valka didn't have to turn around to know that it was Regis who had followed her worriedly and now respectfully kept a little distance.

When the nausea finally subsided and she stood up shakily, Regis was immediately next to her and took her arm to help her up.  
He handed her a small leather bag, which she gratefully accepted. While she was rinsing her mouth and taking a few small sips of the clear water, he rummaged in his pocket until he pulled out some basil and peppermint leaves and handed them to her as well.

"Are you all right now?", he asked anxiously as he took the leather bag from her again and put it away.  
Valka nodded silently at first, but immediately tears came to her eyes and she shook her head. "I just can't believe it. ...I knew that Lennard was a bit fanatical, but I just can't believe that he would go that far. He betrayed all the principles he'd followed for centuries and that it was all out of blind jealousy."  
Regis replied nothing and continued to look at her worriedly while closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  
After a moment she opened her eyes again and asked, a little more calmly, "Have the others decided what to do with... what to do with the chest?"  
He nodded quickly. "They will bury it at the edge of the manor. Zoltan and Eskel are already digging a pit."  
"I see," Valka replied. She slowly chewed some of the aromatic herbs and stared thoughtlessly into the void. Suddenly she winced. "What about Veit?"  
Regis raised a hand to calm her down. "After the first shock subsided, he reacted quite similar to you. I think, under the circumstances, it's only natural. Geralt is with him, so you don't need to worry."

He looked around sceptically and finally pointed to some of the dead Vampires that were lying nearby. "We can't be very useful at the moment, so I suggest we go to the main house to escape this unpleasant sight and you get some rest until we're needed again." He took her gently by the arm again and she allowed him to lead her away without resistance.

The interior of the main house was in relatively good condition, although there was no doubt that anything that could be sold had been looted some time ago.  
After Regis had closed the door behind them, he took a quick look around the lowest floor. He found two reasonably intact chairs and placed them at the small shaky table, which apparently was too uninteresting even for the looters.  
With a gesture of his hand he indicated to Valka to sit down and she immediately complied with his request. She leaned her silver sword against the edge of the table and sat down.

He sat down opposite her and looked at her in silence for a moment.  
The Witcher was sitting on the chair, sunken, with her hands folded in her lap and staring at it, lost in thought.

Again, he reached for his bag, but this time he took out a small bottle, uncorked it and placed it on the table in front of Valka. "Since your stomach has calmed down, it's time to take care of your nerves," he said and smiled at her encouragingly.  
It took Valka a moment to react to him, but finally she looked up irritated. When her gaze then fell on the bottle, a small smile gradually began to appear on her face again. She reached for it and sniffed at its contents. "I had actually forgotten that you had found the right mixture," she said quietly before taking a big sip of the mandrake hooch and keeping it in her mouth for a moment before swallowing it whole. "And I'd forgotten how incredibly good this stuff is, too." She took another sip and handed the bottle back to him. "Thank you, Regis."

His smile widened for a tiny moment, but then his face became serious again. He played mutely with the strap of his bag for a while and wondered if it was appropriate to bring up the subject of Lennard again.  
The decision was made easy for him because Valka had not missed his changed expression and she had watched him attentively. "Go ahead and ask," she finally told him.

Regis hesitated for a moment and thought about his words thoroughly before expressing them. "I hope I'm not presuming too much, but I can't help but notice that Lennard's... condition is giving you a hard time."  
Valka took a deep breath and stared at him.  
He was on the verge of apologizing and dropping the subject when she suddenly exhaled slowly and leaned back more relaxed on the chair.  
"It does."  
She looked down again and kneaded her hands. "It sure does." She sighed heavily, but then she looked Regis straight in the eyes. "For two hundred and sixty years, ... more than half of my life, he was the man by my side, and now he lies dismembered in a chest and is trapped there for several centuries. In addition, he was put there by my son. My son who is alive thanks to him and whom he raised like a child of his own.”  
She closed her eyes in agony. "I remember very clearly what you told me about the horrors of your regeneration. When I imagine that he..." She interrupted when she noticed that Regis had turned his gaze away in sorrow.

Valka leaned forward and put her hand on the Vampire's. "This relationship was born out of blackmail. Nothing about him would ever have aroused my romantic interest. I only got through it because he saved Veit and established an intense relationship with him. Because our time together was limited to a few weeks a year and because I had great respect for his commitment and morals." Valka snorted contemptuously. "Exactly the qualities he has now trampled underfoot. He has saved Human lives for centuries as a champion, keeping rampaging Vampires at bay and then suddenly destroyed everything. ...there have been so many deaths here."  
She waved her head in depression and lightly squeezed Regis' hand until he looked at her again. "I don't know if Lennard loved me or if he simply saw no other way to escape his solitude, but I only tolerated him. "If we had just split up and gone our separate ways, I wouldn't have wept a tear for him. But this way...? In spite of everything he's done, I'm used to him... I need time. Time to understand what has happened, time to process what he has done... and I need time to realize that... I am free now."

Regis turned his hand under hers to return the gentle pressure. In a fragile voice, he said, "It's only natural." The next moment he was compassionately silent before asking his next question. "You knew he was behind this, didn't you?"  
She took a deep breath and looked at him earnestly. "I... was afraid. Not right away, of course," she hurried to add. "It seemed strange to me that whenever we encountered lower Vampires, you were always the primary target. Remember the two Bruxae? I would have been an easy target, but they ignored me, even walked around me just to attack you. ...but I didn't really suspect anything until Lennard suddenly disappeared. Other Witchers or not. He would never have let me and Veit fight the Vampires without his support. So, he had to know that there was no danger."

Valka smiled sadly at him. "I'm terribly sorry that you had to face the wrath of another Vampire because of me. When I think about what would have happened if he had succeeded..." She lowered her eyes, and as she continued, her voice was little more than a whisper. "My choices really don't bring you luck. First, I force you to regenerate for fifty years alone and now you are threatened by almost another century of this ordeal because of me. I'm so sorry I got you into this.”

Regis drew his hand out from under hers, bent over a little and stroked her cheek tenderly. When she looked at him again, he said with a smile: "Tragically, I have always been responsible for my own misfortune. If you want to evaluate the influence you have had on my life, then only under the premise that the time I spent together with you was the happiest of my life".  
Valka closed her eyes, sighed softly and nestled himself in his touch. "That goes for me as well. I have spent the last centuries living by the memories of our shared time."

Suddenly she laughed softly and opened her eyes again. "We really are two hopeless cases, aren't we?"  
Regis sat back and joined in her laughter. "I'm sure Veit would confirm this anytime."

They fell into a pleasant silence, smiling. The melodic chirping of birds and Zoltan's muffled ranting tirades penetrated the ramshackle walls of the main house.  
But after a while Valka took the floor again. "Our work here is done, the Vampires vanquished and the mission accomplished. What will you do now?" she asked curiously.

Regis pondered for a moment before he answered wistfully: "I'm going back to Nazair. I have a debt to settle that I cannot ignore. It was presumptuous of me to have left Dettlaff at all, but the concern for Geralt's safety seemed sufficient enough to allow me to avoid my obligation for a while. But the danger has now been averted. Now he is threatened by little more than stomach aches from the good food and too much wine, and he is in good company. I am forced to join Dettlaff again."  
He cleared his throat quietly and drummed his fingers on the rotten wood of the tabletop. "I'm afraid I have to admit that I don't much care for the prospect of that. Although I am very concerned about Dettlaff's state of mind and would like to see him, but I would prefer to follow Geralt to Toussaint. Enjoy his pleasant company, rather than the oppressive burden of having monosyllabic conversations with a depressed fellow.” He looked up and put his hand flat on the table. "How about you? Where are you going?"

"Ard Skellig, I think," Valka replied, shrugging. "Before I became aware of the Vampire attacks, I intended to go there. Supposedly there are some quite lucrative jobs advertised. Mostly probably Drowners and Sirens. Simple witcher-work for good pay." She nibbled her lip, brooding. "Yes, I think that would be the best decision. The weather there will clear my head. I'll earn a few crowns and have time to think."

She bit her lip again and looked at Regis thoughtfully. After a while she said: "I hope we'll meet again sometime."  
Regis smiled narrowly. "I hope so, too."

♦

Dandelion blinked against the orange-violet light of the rising sun, trying to see if the mounted figures slowly approaching the tavern were his long-desired friends.

He had the greatest confidence in Geralt, Regis and Zoltan's abilities, and he had no doubt that Eskel, Valka and Veit knew how to defend themselves, but it tormented him to be completely clueless about the events. Although he knew that he could only expect them to return, now.  
He had been sitting on the uncomfortable wooden bench in front of the tavern all evening and half the night yesterday, his eyes hardly turned away from the road.

His stomach rumbled loudly and he considered whether he should interrupt his observation for a little snack.  
However, the promising glitter emanating from the saddles of the arriving riders, which looked very much like swords, stopped him and he decided to wait for this group.

**~**

Roughly, Zoltan grabbed the bard by the arm and shook him. "Hey, Dandelion. Wake up, we're back." In panic, Dandelion opened his eyes and sat upright on the bench where he was fallen asleep. After some irritated moments, his mind managed to catch up and he recognized who was standing in front of him.

Jumping with joy, Dandelion sprang to his feet and greeted each one enthusiastically.  
His obvious pleasure at the complete return, met with little response, for the Witchers, Zoltan and even Regis, looked exhausted and their shoulders sagged.

**~**

"Ah, so that's it," Dandelion murmured thoughtfully, tapping his chin rhythmically with one finger. "And I've wondered all along how that could be."  
Geralt, who was just about to bring his beer jug to his mouth, stopped in the middle of the movement and eyed the bard crookedly. "How what can be?"

Dandelion shrugged nonchalantly and reached for his own jug. "Why Veit has no shadow. It hasn't left me alone since Toussaint."  
Dumbfounded, Geralt slammed his beer back onto the table, untouched. "Are you serious? You notice that Veit has no shadow and you don't feel the need to bring it up?"  
The bard shrugged one more time. "How could I have known that you didn't know. Considering he was in your bed when we first met, I assumed you knew so much about each other."  
Annoyed, Geralt put his hands over his face and sighed loudly when the others at the table burst out in violent laughter.

"How come you didn't ask me about this?", Veit asked still laughing.  
This time the bard rubbed his neck embarrassed. "Well, I thought that might be uncomfortable for you. I once knew a very charming young lady who unfortunately was missing two fingers. She was terribly uncomfortable with the subject. So, I thought it might be rude to ask."  
"My dear Dandelion, you never cease to surprise me," Regis preceded the other Witcher in disbelief. "Not only that you are obviously much more attentive than I would have suspected, the conclusion of a missing shadow, equals a missing limb ... remarkably fascinating. I've never actually thought about it like that before."  
Dandelion immediately puffed up a little. "Then the comparison is accurate?"  
"No," Veit replied with a giggle. "It's absurd. What does a shadow do for you but block the sun, while tying your shoes? But it's still very kind of you to take my feelings into consideration."

"But you have nothing else to say about all this?" Eskel asked with a smile. "I would have expected a bard to appreciate such a story."  
Dandelion frowned and thought for a moment. "Well... that Lennard was creepy from the first moment I saw him, so I don't think it was an unexpected twist that he turned out to be the bad guy. As for the rest of it, the ambiance isn't right. But if you put some work into it and make the characters look more believable, then you could definitely make a stirring drama out of it."

"Goddamn, Dandelion. He wanted to know if the events surprised you, not if you could make a ballad out of it", Geralt scolded impatiently.  
"Which, by the way, I have to insist on," Regis added and flashed his teeth. "I cannot allow my person to become even more public than it already is through this ill-fated book."

"A book? What kind of book?", Veit asked curiously.  
Valka laughed and put a hand on his. "He means 'My Evening with a Vampire'. I still have a copy, if you're interested," she explained winking.  
"I'll gladly come back to that later," the Witcher replied with a smile.  
"Don't take too long," Valka replied more seriously now. "If I see it right, you will accompany Geralt, won't you?"  
Veit looked at her in surprise and nodded silently.  
"I'll leave for Novigrad tomorrow and from there on the first boat to Ard Skellig," she continued and Veit's face darkened visibly.  
"To Ard Skellig?" The mood at the table ebbed away suddenly and all eyes now rested on the two Witchers.

For a moment, Veit stared at his mother in disbelief, then he turned to Regis. "And you? What will you do?"  
The Vampire calmly folded his hands. "I'll go back to Dettlaff. Back to Nazair."  
Veit closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "I understand...", he declared bitterly a moment later and rose from his seat. Valka worriedly reached out her hand to him, but he ignored her, grabbed his jug and walked away towards the counter.

Zoltan cleared his throat quietly and scratched his beard. "If... we are going to talk about it anyway... What's going to happen now?" he tried to distract.  
"I am going back to Novigrad as well," Dandelion immediately explained. "I have what I wanted, and if I get the opportunity to go home accompanied by an armed Witcher, then I will certainly not let this pass by unused."  
"I'll accompany you at least for a bit," Eskel interjected. "The contract was advertised at Crow's Perch Castle and that's where I'm going. All those who also want a share of the reward, had better come along."  
Geralt shook his head firmly. "No need. Divide this among you. I don't need anything. My path takes me back to Toussaint."

"Oh yes", Eskel mumbled thoughtfully and put a finger to his lips. "I've been wanting to ask you that all along. You seem to be feeling generous lately. Is your vineyard going that well?"  
Geralt laughed softly. "It's okay. B.B. makes sure I don't screw up and that the current costs are covered. But you're right, I'm pretty well-funded these days."  
"How come?"  
"Remember the story about how Giacomo Cianfanelli robbed my safe deposit box?"  
The Witcher nodded and grinned crookedly.  
"Well, apparently, he had a pretty guilty conscience. Of course, for lack of alternatives I was forced to continue to keep my money matters in the bank and the next time I passed by there, Cianfanelli proudly announced that he had 'speculated' with my money. My first impulse was to decapitate him speculatively, but as it turned out, he had invested in a rather lucrative business. Something about vine leaves. Anyway, despite his horrendous 'handling fees', there was a damn respectable amount of profit. For the next few years, I won't have to worry about whether the harvest will be good."  
"Not bad," Eskel explained and cheered Geralt. "Then I needn't feel guilty about putting your share of the reward in my pocket."  
Geralt nodded to him with a grin. "Enjoy it."

After a short break he spoke again. "Good, then Eskel, Valka, Dandelion and Zoltan will leave for Crow's Perch and Novigrad tomorrow. Veit and I will go to Toussaint. ...And you are sure?" he asked Regis.  
The Vampire nodded slightly. "Unfortunately, I have no other choice."  
"Let me see you again", Geralt added wistfully.  
"I give you my word, my friend", he replied.  
"I count on it."

**~**

Regis didn't bother to look up.  
The clatter of the door, which was slammed shut with an angry swing, clearly told him who came stomping towards him even before the boots entered his field of vision.  
"What can I do for you," he asked the dark-haired Witcher calmly, while he finally raised his head to look into Veit's gloomy face.

Shocked, he flinched when the Witcher did not descend angrily on him as expected, but rather seemed bitterly disappointed and deeply sad.  
"Veit, what about you?", he asked him anxiously and stood up to take a closer look at him.

Uncertain, Veit avoided his gaze and closed his eyes for a moment, as if he was struggling for his composure.  
"So that was it now?" he whispered softly. "You'll just continue to go your separate ways?"  
Concerned, Regis paused, then took a deep breath. He needed a moment to articulate his answer.  
"Valka has a lot to process and I have duties to fulfill," he tried to explain himself, but Veit laughed cheerlessly.  
"Duties," he repeated mockingly. "You two are really made for each other. Just like her, you talk yourself out of it with duty."  
He walked past him and let himself fall onto the bench where Regis had been sitting until just now. "I don't expect you two to pick up right where you left off. But damn it, you both still have feelings for each other and yet you want to part here as if nothing happened."  
The Vampire lowered his gaze in shame but didn't return it and Veit too fell into a deep silence.

After a while he leaned forward and supported his head with his hands. "Lennard really was like a father to me", he continued unexpectedly and Regis flinched almost imperceptibly. "Valka was telling the truth when she said that I never questioned him and never asked about you. He was there and took care of me. There was no need to worry about someone who was absent. It wasn't until she told me your story that I began to wonder what kind of man you were."  
He sighed softly and looked up at Regis. "I don't know why it bothered me so much, but I was dying to know why you cheated on her. What reason did you have to do such a thing to her?" He laughed again. "One could think someone my age would be above this, but... I certainly didn't expect to like you. That I could even care what you thought of me and... that I could not only forgive you for what you did, but even wish that you would just carry on as if nothing had happened."

He slipped a bit to one side when Regis sat down next to him and leaned his head against the wall, thinking. "I regret what happened," he whispered softly. "I regret it, for all our sakes. I'm not like Lennard, I never wanted a family so desperately, but I sincerely regret having missed the chance."

Veit turned his head to look at him and Regis put a hand on his shoulder. "Unfortunately, I can't change what happened. That goes for my behaviour in Dillingen as well as my foolish behaviour in Stygga. And now I am forced to accept the consequences."

"Tell me the truth, Regis. Have you made a final break with the past?" Regis reached for the strap of his bag and ran his fingers up and down the leather. "For good? No... probably not. "But...". He continued before Veit could throw something in, "right now I don't see how our paths could cross again. My dear Veit, so much has happened. You must realize that every action should be well thought out."

Veit did not react immediately, but sighed first into the cloudy sky. "Did you say goodbye?"  
"We did."

♦

The sun gradually reaches the point where it disappears very slowly, first behind the trees and then behind the horizon.  
Geralt leaned forward in his saddle and lovingly patted Roach on the neck. He took a look into the sky and turned to his companion. "Would you like to go to a tavern?"  
"No", Veit replied confidently. "I think I'd rather stay under the stars tonight."  
So, he replied well, and steered his horse a little further to the edge of the path. "What do you think of that spot back there. ...there among the weeping willows?"  
Veit looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded his head slowly. "It looks good."

They led their horses to the trees and descended. Each of them routinely took on their tasks to prepare for their night's lodging and a small meal.

While they ate, they kept silent. Veit because he was lost in thought and Geralt because he was not sure what to talk about with the other Witcher. All topics that came to his mind seemed too banal to tackle now after the events of the previous days.

After they had finished eating, Geralt offered him a bottle of booze, but Veit refused, shaking his head. Since he didn't feel like drinking alone, he stowed the bottle safely back in his saddlebag.  
When he was finished with it and turned back to his companion, he noticed that Veit had already spread out his blanket and stretched out beside the fire. The sight made him yawn immediately and he decided to do the same.

He loosened the leather strap that held the rolled-up blanket to Roach's saddle and took it.  
Normally he would now go to the opposite side of the fire and make himself comfortable, but this time he hesitated.  
He pondered for a moment and then decided to spread out his blanket beside Veit.  
The Witcher watched him silently but didn't react until Geralt lay beside him and tried to find a comfortable position on the hard floor.

"Geralt, when we were on our way to Lindenvale, you reacted totally displeased, just because we got a bit close during the night, ... why did you suddenly stop doing that?"  
He gave Veit a surprised look. "Are you serious about this question? After all we've... done."  
The Witcher laughed softly. "I see. But all the time I have the feeling... it's uncomfortable for you. As if you're actually resisting it."

Geralt thought about it for a moment before answering. "I have no fundamental problem with it, if that's what you mean. I just couldn't imagine doing it myself." He paused briefly and turned his head to stare at the dark sky. "Plus, I'm usually more comfortable repressing my feelings than dealing with them."  
Veit hummed softly as a sign that he understood him and turned away, too.

Geralt nibbled his lip for a while and thought back to their shared bath. A smile crept on his lips as the memory of it flooded through his mind and left a pleasant feeling in his stomach.

Carefully he groped his fingers until he found Veit's hand and slipped his fingers between his own. Gently he squeezed them and turned back to Veit, who meanwhile looked at him curiously.  
"I like you", Geralt explained and a smile flashed up when Veit's pupils slightly enlarged at his words. "I like you very much and I'm glad that you accompany me. Please try to be patient with me. I still have to get used to it. And... my past relationships have been a disaster in themselves, I don't want it to end like this again.”  
Veit smiled slightly and looked up at the sky again. "Same here," he admitted with a quiet laugh.

After another moment of silence Veit sighed up softly. "Can I ask you a really hypothetical question?"  
"Hm? Sure," Geralt replied.  
Again, he turned towards him and looked seriously into his yellow cat eyes. "What if this... works with us? If in a few months we find it works, and then months turn into years."

Geralt thought about his words for a while and then shrugged. "I guess I have to introduce you to Ciri."  
This time Veit laughed out loud, rolled to the side and leaned on one arm to have a closer look at him. "What an honour."

"And I must get used to the fact that my closest friend is your father," Geralt added. "When I think that he practically caught us..." He put one hand over his eyes and shook his head unpleasantly. Again, Veit laughed. "It doesn't bother him. He told me so himself."  
"That's easy to say."

The dark-haired Witcher nibbled his lower lip slightly. "What about your employees? Will you tell them what's between us?"  
"The only people it concerns or would concern are B.B. and Marlene, and I don't have to tell them anything. They'll probably know the minute we get back to the estate."  
"Would that be a problem?" Veit asked uncertainly.  
Geralt looked at him seriously. "No. You belong to it now. ...I think Marlene will be very happy and B.B. is much too well-bred to criticize his master. Besides, Corvo Bianco is very dear to him and I have big plans for it. I'm sure when he finds out what I have in mind, I, or rather we, will enjoy fool's paradise with him anyway."  
Curious, Veit raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"  
"It'll be a surprise and I think you'll like it," Geralt replied enigmatically.

~

It was already late afternoon when they arrived at Corvo Bianco. The weather was unusually dull and it rained, but still the whole vineyard seemed inviting and cosy.  
The sight made Geralt relax immediately and even Veit seemed to be a bit more exuberant than usual.  
Barnabas-Basil was waiting for them, as usual at the gate and Marlene stood in the front door to welcome them.

Although he had assured Veit that his employees would not be a problem, Geralt' heart was pounding like mad now while he waited for his majordomo to ask the obligatory question about the preparation of the guest room.  
When it finally happened, it took him an enormous effort to stay calm while he declared that Veit would sleep with him from now on.

The glow that immediately lay on Marlene's face calmed him a bit but also irritated him. But Barnabas-Basil's expressionless face was a burden for him.  
Geralt inwardly cursed the man's deadly composure as he dutifully bowed and left the hall to pursue his further duties.

A few moments later the situation eased abruptly, for although the majordomo politely withdrew and closed the door behind him, neither Veit nor Geralt could escape the hearty laughter that shook the man who thought he was out of earshot.

**~**

For a moment, both stood a little insecurely in front of the big inviting bed.  
Despite their history, it seemed to be an incredibly intimate act for both, Geralt and Veit, to climb into the same bed together.

Inwardly, Geralt was at odds with himself, but as the owner of the bed, he couldn't think of any reason why he shouldn't use it.  
His knees trembled when he stepped to the edge of the bed and sat down on it. He tried not to make a face while he took off his shirt and laid it neatly on the valet stand.  
He knew that Veit's gaze was fixed on him all the time, while he leaned back and stretched out on the mattress. Only when he spread the blanket over himself did Veit flinched and showed a sign of life again. "I... could go to the guest room..."  
"Veit, shut up and come here."

The Witcher flinched just once more, but remained standing there like rooted to the ground.  
Geralt sighed softly and put his feet into the mattress to free himself from his last piece of clothing. As he turned to the side to put his trousers aside, he felt the mattress give way under the weight of another person and a grin crept across his face. " Well, there you go."

**~**

"Tell me, can you turn into a bat?"  
Veit lifted his head from Geralt's chest and looked at him in amazement. "How do you come up with this now?" he wanted to know.  
"It's been going through my mind all this time. You are a half Vampire. But what exactly does that mean? Are you more Witcher or more Vampire?"  
"More Witcher", Veit replied with a grimace. "And no. I cannot turn into a bat. I can't even turn into fog. I guess..."  
"You guess?" Geralt asked.  
Veit hummed softly. "When I was twelve, I once came across a rather angry bear. Of course, I ran away immediately, but she came after me. I'm not quite sure, but during my escape I suddenly found myself above a small slope. That almost certainly saved my ass. Unfortunately, I don't know if I had a blackout and just can't remember climbing up there or if I flew up there. But I guess it was more of a blackout, because Lennard tried to teach me for years and I always failed. It's too bad. That would be a pretty useful skill."  
"That's true," Geralt replied. "And do you drink blood?"  
"No. I did that once when I was a child and that was enough for me", Veit replied and grimaced in disgust. "I will not lie. I liked it, but... I think it's just disgusting to drink from people. The idea alone is incredibly gross. And alcohol works as well for me as it does for you. So, I don't need to drink blood."

Geralt looked at him with a smile. "Okay, what can you do now?"  
"You mean apart from the transformation thing?", Veit asked and Geralt nodded.  
He regretted the question immediately when a mean grin crept onto the face of the Witcher. But before he could take the question back, Veit blurred to a vague shadow and Geralt felt something grabbing him and ripping him up from the mattress.

He winked irritated for a moment and waited for his mind to catch up. Suddenly he realized that Veit had grabbed him in a flash and turned him around.  
He now lay on his stomach and his knees. The Witcher's hands were still on his hip and now pushed him forward at a moderate pace.

Geralt felt ridiculous as he was on all fours, kneeling naked before the Witcher. But this impression disappeared the moment Veit bent over and licked with his tongue over a very private part of his body.

The moment the tongue touched him, tingling goose bumps crept all over his body and made him shiver violently up to the tips of his fingers and toes. Geralt winked irritated and wondered if this had really just happened or if it had been imagined.  
He knew the answer when Veit let his tongue fly out once more and he felt the blood shoot into his groin.

The feeling was not unpleasant, but it caught him with his pants down. His instinct advised him to protest, but since the deft tongue was already back a blink of an eye later, the protest turned into a restrained moan that slipped away from him unconsciously.  
In no time he was hard, when Veit licked him further and massaged his buttocks strongly.

Shortly afterwards Veit exerted some pressure on him with his tongue and penetrated him slightly. Geralt suddenly became aware of what the whole thing would lead to and the blush rose embarrassed in his face.  
Again, his instinct told him to protest, but this time again he did without it and just clawed his fingers into the sheet.

Geralt took a deep breath and tried to concentrate only on his feelings and not to think about the situation any further.  
With every further movement of Veit's tongue this became much easier for him and he relaxed while he gave in to this new experience with a quiet groan.  
Then Veit withdrew unexpectedly. Astonished, Geralt wanted to turn around and ask him why he stopped when the soft popping of a stopper made him freeze.

Only a few moments later, he felt a slight pressure again. But this time, he was sure, he wasn't dealing with the tongue of the Witcher.  
He unconsciously tensed up in anticipation of what was to come. But when Veit noticed it, he immediately took a little distance again and tenderly stroked his back.

For a few minutes he did nothing more than caressing and stroking him lovingly. Slowly his hand moved from Geralt's back over his belly to his cock, which he now stroked skillfully.  
Geralt closed his eyes and enjoyed the touch. When shortly after that the resistance became noticeable again, he tried hard to stay relaxed.

Veit took his time. His movements were slow and gentle. It took almost a minute until he was ready that Geralt could feel that he was entering him.  
For quite a while the leisurely pace continued but then suddenly he became faster and slipped into him quite a bit. Despite the unaccustomed feeling he couldn't suppress a surprised wheeze.  
The feeling was neither repulsive nor particularly arousing. It did not hurt either. It was simply... unaccustomed.

Only a few seconds later Geralt revised his preliminary judgement when Veit penetrated a little bit deeper into him and hit a very special point.  
The lust that suddenly flowed through him was stronger than anything Geralt had ever felt before. He gasped once more, but this time with excitement.  
To his regret, this feeling died away after only a few moments and against all expectations, he eagerly leaned against Veit's movement to feel this sensation again.

Veit seemed to know what was on his mind, for instead of continuing as before, he pressed his hands against Geralt's buttocks and pulled back a little, only to strike again immediately.  
Geralt moaned with pleasure and pushed his back further to meet him.  
He felt Veit's hand move up his thigh again and took him firmly in his hand. When he pushed the next time, his fingers followed the movement and stars flashed before Geralt's eyes. He threw his head back and moaned throatily.

While Veit retreated one more time, Geralt prayed that Marlene and B.B. were already deeply and firmly asleep in their own homes.

♦

Another bitingly cold gust of wind struck Valka's face with wet snowflakes.  
The Witcher cursed loudly and wiped her eyes with a gloved hand to clear her vision. The storm had not come as a surprise, but instead of the rain that would be common at this time of year on Ard Skellig, there was a thick veil of large snowflakes that immediately melted into a patch of ice-cold water when touched.

The thickly lined armour protected Valka from the worst of the wet and cold, but the fur trim on her collar was now almost completely wet, and with every step it brushed uncomfortably across her neck and cheeks.  
She cursed again and changed the big iron hook, on which the severed heads of two Ekhidnas were hanging, into the other hand. She stretched and extended her fingers, numb from the cold and the strain, while she was annoyed at her decision to leave Topaz behind in the warm, dry stables of Novigrad.  
For a moment she thought about leaving the trophies behind, but the reward that her client had promised her was too tempting.

The snowstorm was too dense and prevented her from orientating herself, so she was forced to rely on her gut feeling as she stumbled across the rugged landscape in search of shelter.  
Another gust tore the dense curtain of snowflakes apart for a tiny moment, revealing a dark shadow at some distance before visibility dimmed again.  
Hopefully Valka accelerated her steps and ran towards the shadowy outline. After a few minutes, a collapsed wall of large boulders appeared in front of her and she sighed in relief.

She circled the debris and, among the long abandoned ruins, picked out the one that would offer her the most protection. A dilapidated hut, almost in the centre of the tiny settlement, seemed the best option.  
A huge hole in one of the walls exposed the interior of the hut to the elements, but the roof had been preserved enough to protect her from the heaviest snowfall, and the remaining walls did the rest to protect her from the wind.

Valka put her backpack and the heads in a corner of the hut and started to prepare her camp in a much better mood.  
She gathered the rotten wooden planks and beams from the remains of the buildings. Picked out the driest pieces of wood underneath and set them aside, and with the rest she built a small platform to keep the cold of the ground away.  
Then she gathered some large stones and arranged them in a circle in front of the improvised platform. As she set out to get another stone, her eyes fell on a shred of canvas peeking out from under the rubble of a hut. She moved closer to get a better look at it.

The cloth was completely soaked and had several large tears and holes, but would serve her well as an additional wind protection against the destroyed outer wall.  
Satisfied, she cleared away the debris, gathered up the cloth and went back to her shelter to hang up the temporary curtain.

When she was satisfied with the result, she took her backpack and dug out various things.  
She laid out the tightly tied bearskin that made up much of her luggage on the pedestal. The thin extra blanket she put folded up next to it. Bread, cheese and some dried meat found their place on a flat stone. When she finally found the small metal can at the bottom of the backpack, she finished her romp and put the bag back.  
She took the can, opened the lid and let the small bags she was storing in it fall into her hand and put them aside carefully. With the can in her hand, she stepped outside again into the storm and ran to the narrow stream that meandered past the edge of the settlement.  
She scooped some of the icy water and returned to the hut to pile up some of the firewood in the temporary fireplace and light it with a witcher-sign. She shaped the sign several times until she was satisfied with the intensity of the flames.

The icy wind still whistled through the holes and cracks of the hut, but the fire radiated enough warmth to create some comfort.  
Valka stripped off her wet coat and hung it up to dry, then she sat down on her fur, wrapped herself in the blanket and waited until the water for her tea became hot.

**~**

"May I join you?" a voice asked and tore Valka abruptly from her thoughts.  
She reached for her swords, looked around in shock and then noticed in horror a figure behind the curtain who had apparently managed to approach her unnoticed.  
"I am always impressed how calmly you Witcher deals with adverse circumstances, such as this horrible weather," it sounded again and Valka opened her mouth in amazement.  
"Regis?", she asked incredulously.

The Vampire pushed the canvas aside and climbed over the remains of the wall to enter the inside of the hut. "Ah, I see you have successfully completed another hunt. I hope the payment is worth it?", he chatted casually as his gaze fell on the Ekhidna heads.

Valka shook her head in bewilderment as she recovered from the surprise. Instead of answering his question, she asked him one of her own. "What are you doing here? I thought you had duties in Nazair?"  
Regis made a shy face. "Yes, I do. But unfortunately, I have to admit that I lack the patience to deal with a Vampire sitting in the corner sulking like a defiant little child because the whole world is supposedly conspiring against him."  
"You didn't tell him that, did you?" Valka asked sceptically.  
He tilted his head to the side and smoothed his vest, embarrassed. "I'm afraid he did not take it so well and refuses to talk to me for the moment."

Valka slapped a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter. She gurgled amused for a while, but finally she calmed down and shook her head in disbelief. "I think at some point I'll have to meet this Dettlaff and get an idea of him. He must be quite extraordinary if he manages to excite you like that. I don't know that I've ever seen you so tactless."

Regis sighed softly. "I'm afraid it's due to circumstances ...I hope you don't mind that I decided to come and see you?"  
Valka smiled gently and shook her head again. "No, on the contrary, I'm glad for some company and... I was just thinking of you anyway."  
All of a sudden Regis' face brightened and he shone at the Witcher. "I'm relieved to hear that. ...I... I've been thinking about you a lot lately, too. About you... and about Veit."  
Valka watched in amazement as his radiant smile, as quickly as it had appeared, gave way to a worried expression. He scraped his feet embarrassed and played nervously on the strap of his bag.

She tore herself from her thoughts and concentrated instead on the meaning of his words. With her palm she tapped on the platform and at the same time moved aside a bit to make room. "Come sit with me. Of course, I know you're not cold, but I get frostbite watching you stand in the draught like that."  
She waited until he had complied with her request and sat down beside her.

The space was limited and they sat close together.  
"What's on your mind," Valka asked, while she tried to ignore the tingling sensation that emanated from the spot where his knee touched hers.

Regis hesitated and searched for the right words. "Veit. My... son," he finally brought out a stumbling block.  
Valka nodded, ticked off. She had already expected that, but it still upset her that this topic was necessary at all.  
"I never considered that I could have a child one day", Regis finally continued. "I wasn't even sure if I was interested in fatherhood at all. This world seems so... unpleasant to me that I find the idea of having children strange. But now... now that I know he exists..."  
He interrupted and brushed his mouth in an agitated manner. "Veit and I will never be able to have a father-son relationship. He's long grown up... but I'd be very happy if we could be friends."  
Valka smiled lovingly at him. "I think, as far as Veit is concerned, he already considers you as such."  
A short smile glimmered across his face and Regis nodded at her.

"I had hardly left Lindenvale when I finally really realized what Veit's existence means to me," he continued sadly. "If things had been different back then - if I hadn't acted like a complete idiot, then... ." He paused and closed his eyes in agony.

"Valka, when I asked you to stay with me, what did you want to answer? What had you decided before I ruined everything?" He kept his eyes closed tightly and clasped his fingers around the leather strap of the bag while nervously waiting for her answer.

She was silent at first, but then Regis felt a hand on his knee. " Regis, I would have given up the path for you. I would have been happy to stay with you."

Slowly he opened his eyes again and instead hung his head sadly. "Then I could have had a family," he said bitterly. "I could have had a life by the side of the woman I love, would have seen my son grow up. I could have been happy instead of..."  
He broke off the sentence and buried his face in his hands. "I wish so much I could go back in time. ...undo the past."  
His voice now trembled violently and he spoke so softly that Valka had to lean against him to hear him talk above the roar of the wind.

Valka looked at him for a while and her heart ached in her chest. Then she took her hand from his knee and instead laid it comfortingly on his shoulder. "We cannot change the past. But we can decide what to do with our future."  
She waited until he took his hands off his face again and looked at her.

"I'm tired, Regis. I've followed the path for four hundred years. I've spent my life swinging my swords for other people and given up myself to protect my child. I think it's time I finally did something that's just for me."  
She nodded confidently and hit her knee with a fist. "I only want to take on assignments that really appeal to me, I want to have a home to return to after a successful hunt. ...And I want to feel the other women's scowls on me again, ...because I snatched the good-looking doctor from under their noses."  
She turned her head to look him straight in the eye. "Let's forget what happened. Let's look into the future and if you want to... Regis, would you... would you like to try again? Would you still want to be with me, again?"

Regis stared at her in bewilderment.  
He needed a few moments to process her question and to understand what it meant. Then he closed his eyes again and breathed slowly and deeply. When he opened them again, they glistened wet. "You would actually give an old, bitter Vampire like me another chance?"

Valka nodded very slowly and carefully. "There was a time when I feared you, there was a time when I felt sorry for you and there was even a short time when I hated you, but most of the time I loved you... and I never stopped."  
She reached for his hand. "we were happy then. We both were. Let's forget what happened. Let's be happy again."

Regis thought stunned about her words and waved his head indecisively, but as he struggled to find the right words, the movement turned more and more into a nod.  
Even before he found his voice again, Valka jumped forward and hungrily pressed her lips onto his.

Regis closed his eyes and sighed deeply into the kiss.

As he wrapped his arms around her, a tension fell from him that he didn't know was there until now. He relaxed down to the tips of his toes, his stomach was tingling with excitement and the euphoria he hadn't felt in so long completely captured him.

Joyfully, he gave up any resistance as Valka leaned further into the kiss, promisingly pressing him down onto the bearskin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> In the next chapter you can also admire a piece of art made by _**Vince.**_


	14. Everything is going to be fine in the end - Part 2 of 2

Valka tugged a little at the thin blanket and stuck it behind her back. After she was satisfied with the result, she snuggled up closer to Regis again and continued to caress his arm tenderly with her fingertips. "You're smiling like you used to," she said happily. "That's nice, I've missed your smile a lot."  
"And just like before, I can't stop again," he replied, grinning a little wider. "You have this effect on me," he explained and kissed her lovingly. "I really hope you have been thinking it over, because I am determined to do everything right this time. I will not be foolish enough to let you go a second time."  
Valka laughed softly. "I really hope so."  
She slipped a little lower and laid her head on his naked chest. "When I boarded the ship in Novigrad three months ago, I had to force myself very hard to stay there and not jump on Topaz again to ride after you. Since then hardly an hour has passed in which I have not thought of you or regretted not having followed you straight away. To tell you the truth, I have been longing for you all this time, despite everything I said in Lindenvale or on the manor."  
Regis smiled a little. "I am glad... no, I am deeply happy that I decided to follow you after all. Although I never imagined you would give me a second chance."  
He circled thoughtlessly over her back with his fingertips and enjoyed the pleasant shudder that kept passing through her.

"Have you taken on any more contracts?", he asked after a while.  
"One more," she murmured against his chest. "It's on the way to Kaer Trolde and shouldn't take long either."  
Regis paused in his movement and looked down at her. "Do you want to look around for other contracts? On the other islands, perhaps?"  
Valka raised her head slightly so that she could look directly at him. "Actually, I was going to, but now... The last few weeks have been quite lucrative, and I can still get the reward for the Ekhidnas. I don't need to, and if you'd like to go back to the mainland, I'll come with you."  
He nodded slightly and continued his caressing again. "I do not intend to push you. I will wait patiently until you are ready." He interrupted briefly and pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "I am only thinking about our possibilities. Where we can go, what we will do."

Valka straightened up a little more, supported her forearms next to his body and looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you want to go back to be a doctor? Would you like to have your own practice again?"  
"Yes," he replied nodding. "That would be very nice. After I had recovered sufficiently from Vilgefortz... attack, I practiced again for a few years in Dillingen, since I was able to do so without Dettlaff's help. Not as well equipped as before, but it gave me a lot of pleasure. It would really be very nice to have my own practice and my own house again." He smiled slightly as he imagined his thoughts, but suddenly he jerked his head up and looked at Valka seriously. "Only if it's okay with you, of course. If you prefer to continue your work, I will accompany you. I can find patients anywhere."  
Valka leaned forward and breathed a gentle kiss on his chest. "Don't worry about that," she said smiling. "I already told you, I'm tired of Witcher-business. I will probably never give it up completely, but I will gladly settle for taking care of the local monsters."  
She thoughtfully bit her cheek. "If you're going to practise again, of course I'll need another job. I'll probably have to do something of my own, because unfortunately there aren't many people who would hire a Witcher.”  
“In Veit's childhood I did a lot of work beyond monster hunting. I can sew, spin and cook. I could also work in the stables, after all I know my way around horses. Fieldwork is obviously not an option. No man would hire a woman for that. Oh, I could probably teach swordsmanship."  
Regis laughed softly and tore Valka from her thoughts. "I'm sure we'll find something suitable for you." He let his hand go a little lower and Valka closed her eyes with pleasure. "I have a very important matter to take care of. Would you mind if I left you soon and met you in Kaer Trolde as soon as you finish your mission?"  
She looked at him with surprise. "Of course. I'll probably only need about two days. I've rented a room at the New Port Inn. We can meet there. "But... what is so important?"  
He smiled mysteriously, then suddenly he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her so that she was lying under him. "I've already threatened you that I intend to do everything right this time, and I'll stick to it."  
He bent over to kiss her, but she put her hands on his chest and kept him at a distance. "What are you going to do?" she asked sceptically, but Regis just laughed. "Allow me to surprise you."

**~**

Night had already fallen on Kaer Trolde when Valka finally reached the tavern.  
The weather had improved only slightly in the last two days and she had made poor progress. Only the prospect of seeing Regis again soon had kept her from stopping in Rannvaig and waiting for better weather.  
She rummaged in her bag yawning, looking for the key to her accommodation. Meanwhile her gaze glided down on her and she frowned disapprovingly.  
Her boots were soaked and completely covered with mud, the metal fittings of her armour showed the first traces of rust and the hem looked no better than the boots.  
She sighed softly, hoping that it wasn't too late to get some hot water for a bath. As she returned to the contents of her bag, the door suddenly swung open and allowed a glimpse of the inside of the luxurious bedroom.  
Puzzled, Valka looked up, but then a smile immediately appeared on her face and her heart pounded with delight when she saw Regis standing in the doorway, bowing elegantly before her.

"You're already here?" she asked enchanted and embraced the Vampire.  
"Of course", Regis replied smiling. "But only a few hours ago. My ...business took a little longer than I thought. But I'm satisfied with the results and also with the preparation of the rest of my project."  
He separated from her and closed the door to shut out the uncomfortable weather. "I was allowing myself to organize a dinner for us," he continued, pointing to a table covered with various well-filled bowls and plates. Then he looked at her from head to toe with a smile. "And I had the tub prepared for you."

Laughing, she approached him and kissed him on the lips. "Regis, I really don't know how I could ever be so stupid to leave you."  
"Oh, excellent. In that case, I'd better not help you to get your memories back," he also replied laughing and got an amused shake of Valka's head.

"Would you like to eat first or bathe first?", he asked more seriously now.  
"Bath," Valka replied immediately. "Bath for sure."  
She took off her backpack and the swords and handed them to Regis so he could stow them away. Just as she was about to take off her coat, a thought came to her mind. "Do you want to join me?" she asked slyly, innocently bobbing her toes.  
Regis pondered for a moment what she could mean, but then a grin spread across his face and he reached for the gags of his vest. "With the greatest of pleasure."

Sighing, Valka let herself slide into the hot water and enjoyed the shivering she felt as the cold was completely banished from her limbs.  
She moved a little to the side to make room for Regis. But before he joined her in the tub, he handed her a glass of dark wine, which shimmered velvety violet in the light of the candles and exuded a beguiling smell of berries and spices.

She accepted it with thanks and waited until he had sat down next to her and the sloshing water had calmed down. Then Regis held up his own glass and said: "To the most charming woman in the world - Valka the Witcher."  
"And the most charming man - Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy the Vampire," Valka added, toasting with him. Both sipped their wine with a smile.

For a while they fell into a pleasant silence and limited themselves to enjoying each other's company. After a while, Regis even started to hum softly and gently splash around on the water surface with one hand.  
But suddenly he pointed with one finger first at the tub and then at the whole room. "This room and the furnishings are impressively luxurious. I'm a little surprised you could afford such a thing."  
Valka nodded with a smile. "I would never have afforded myself such a thing. But Jonas - the innkeeper - is an old friend. When he was a child, I saved his mother from a flock of Harpies and he now returns the favour by always offering me this room when I come to Ard Skellig." She sipped her glass one more time, and then suddenly she hesitated. "How did you get in here anyway?" she asked irritated.  
"Well, of course I know that locks are no obstacle for you, but Jonas must know that you are here when you have ordered food and bath water," she added immediately afterwards.  
Regis nodded confirmingly. "He even gave me a duplicate key himself."  
"Sorry?", Valka asked incredulously.  
"I had a long conversation with him and in the end he was not only convinced that you wouldn't have any objections to my presence, he also made me an interesting suggestion," he explained mysteriously and Valka started to ask a question, but before she got around to it, Regis continued. "I must confess, I am surprised how many friends you have here in Kaer Trolde. In the few hours I have been here, I have met at least two dozen people who immediately told me to send you greetings when I mentioned you. I know that Geralt has been here for some time and has made his skills available, but I am not aware that the people of Ard Skellig are often in need of Witchers.”  
"They don't," Valka replied casually. "They are far too proud for that. I actually have a lot of acquaintances here, but they are more from ordinary work and less from Witcher-business. Unlike the Mainlanders, the Skellig-people have been more willing to hire a Witcher when she tries to get her child through winter. This has often resulted in friendships that have lasted for generations." She laughed softly. "Probably many of them don't even remember that I used to gut fish and tan hides for their ancestors.”  
“Unlike the White Wolf, I have never had anything to do with the heads of the great clans. I have always remained among the common people."  
Regis nodded his head slightly. "But they seem to know who you are," he murmured absently.  
"What makes you think so?", Valka asked irritated, but Regis only smiled again instead of answering.

"How do you come to be looking for work at Ard Skellig at all?"  
Valka raised an eyebrow critically but granted him this change of subject. "Because of Lennard," she replied succinctly.  
"You mean he stayed here a lot?" he asked and Valka shook her head.  
"On the contrary. Lennard belongs to the Tdet. He originally lived in Zerrikania and hated the climate on the islands."  
"I... understand", Regis replied reluctantly, rolling the stem of the wine glass between his fingers. Valka watched him for a while, then she emptied her wine glass and placed it on the floor next to the tub. "And now it would be nice if I understood and you would stop torturing me. So, what are you up to?"  
Regis followed her example and emptied his glass before answering her. "As I said, the point is to get our relationship right this time." He laughed amusedly as she drew a disappointed pout. "Be patient, dear. I'm waiting for the right moment and a rare moment of courage."  
She shook her head with a smile and crossed her arms in front of her chest, sulking, while Regis leaned out of the tub to reach the bottle to refill her glasses. "Honestly Regis, if you weren't a Vampire and I weren't a Witcher, I'd think you were planning to propose to me as mysteriously as you do."

He put the bottle back and turned to her again to hand her the filled glass with a smile. "I promise, you'll know when the time is right."  
"And what if this ominous right moment doesn't exist?" she asked with a grin and then suddenly she took her face between her hands in feigned shock. "Oh dear, I poor woman. I'm sitting here with the love of my life, naked in a huge tub, full of hot perfumed water and instead of having fun, I have to rack my brains and fear that mysterious moments will pass by unused."

This time Regis laughed out loud and then took the glass away. "I take this criticism to heart and will do something about it immediately." He put the glasses away, wrapped one arm around Valka's waist and pulled her onto his lap so quickly that the bath water splashed.  
Valka closed her eyes with relish and stretched as he covered her neck with feather-light kisses and caressed her side tenderly.

But suddenly she opened her eyes and pushed him away with one hand. "Wait a moment longer," she muttered as he stared at her in wonder.  
She climbed out of the tub and ran towards her backpack, leaving a trail of small puddles of water. Irritated, he looked after her and watched as she quietly cursed and rummaged around in the bag.

Suddenly he realized what she was up to. He leaned against the edge of the wooden tub and climbed out as well. As he passed by, he grabbed a cloth and quickly dabbed himself before throwing it back into a corner.  
Then he put one hand on Valka's shoulder, who was still rumbling around in a tangle of different potion bottles. "That's no longer necessary," he said with a smile as she looked up at him. "I have got used to it over the years and I have it under control."  
She stood up slowly and looked at him with glowing eyes. "If that's the case." She carelessly placed the two phials she still had in her hands on a small chest of drawers and instead laid her hands on Regis' cheeks. Then their lips met in a passionate kiss.

His hands wandered along her body and when they parted briefly, he grabbed her, carried her the last two steps to the bed and gently set her down on it.  
Again, his lips moved across her neck, caressing every spot of her skin and eliciting small, almost inaudible sighs from her repeatedly.

Slowly he moved on, spreading kisses on her clavicles, her breasts, where he lingered for a short time and played with her nipples to elicit more sweet sounds from her.  
Then he slid a little deeper, caressed her muscular belly, quickly dipped his tongue into her navel and continued to cover her with hot kisses. He enjoyed how she turned under him with pleasure and stretched out towards his touches.

Very slowly he pulled his arms from her waist, let them wander over her thighs and secretly pushed them under her knees. He placed another kiss right in front of her pubic area and then he angled her legs with a quick movement that made Valka rise up in surprise.  
He didn't give her time to react but slipped back a little further and disappeared from her field of vision, then broadly grinning between her spread legs.  
A small scream took Valka away and then sounded like a long groan as he hit her most sensitive point with his tongue and skilfully played around it.

He let his tongue circle over and over again and made her body tremble.  
Another scream escaped her as he first dipped his tongue into her and then immediately returned to her clit. He accelerated the pace of his movement and Valka clawed her fingers into the soft sheet while she moaned lustfully.  
Regis already felt the treacherous twitching of her abdominal muscles that announced the approaching orgasm. Grinning, he increased the pressure to get her over the edge.

Confused, Regis blinked.  
Valka had unexpectedly bent over, grabbed him by the shoulders and thrown him on his back. It happened so suddenly that he could not react and now he stared into Valka's reddened face. Her breath went violently but slowly a malicious grin crept onto her face and Regis closed his eyes smiling as she bent down.

The moment her lips closed around him, he hissed and reached into her neck.  
She placed one arm close to his hip to support herself on it and with the other she stroked his thigh.

Slowly she lowered her head and took it all the way into her mouth, played teasingly with her tongue on his shaft, and when she pulled back immediately afterwards, she sucked gently on him.  
Gently she ran her teeth over the sensitive tip, making him twitch, before she immediately put him back in her mouth and elicited a small groan from Regis.  
He had put one hand over his eyes and unconsciously guided her with the other, which was still in her neck.

He didn't use much force, but she had to brace herself slightly against the pressure he was building up as she accelerated her movement and didn't want to take him that deep anymore.  
Regis gasped loudly but noticed what she was about to do and forced himself to take his hand away from her and drill his fingernails into the mattress instead.

Valka increased the speed and skillfully played around him with her tongue.  
A saliva thread ran out of the corner of her mouth, but she ignored it and sucked a little harder. Suddenly she tasted that he was just before his climax and quickly let go of him. She wasted no time, crawled higher again and settled on him.

She threw her head back and moaned loudly as he slipped into her and filled her completely.  
When the incredible feeling ebbed away, she bent over again, put her hands on his chest and began to ride him.

Crunching, the sheet tore under Regis' fingers as he immediately approached the climax and tensed up again.  
Gradually Valka increased the pace. Her fingers clawed into his hairy chest and her leg muscles burned, but she held on until Regis reared up and came moaning shortly afterwards.  
His movement made him penetrate her even deeper and the violent twitches of his orgasm made her come. Regis gasped once more as her muscles contracted around him and continued to stimulate.  
Then Valka collapsed and remained lying on top of him trembling. He wrapped one arm around her and together they let their climax fade away.

**~**

"I have the impression that we can go straight back into the bath," Regis murmured with a smile as he stroked Valka's sweaty back with his hand.  
"I don't want to," she protested powerlessly and cuddled up even closer to him. "I've lived far too long without this."  
"I didn't know that you were so keen on lying in bed all sweaty," he joked and Valka pricked him in the side with a finger.  
"Go ahead and make fun," she replied sulking, but snuggled up to him even more. "I have missed this so much. I've missed you so much," she added hoarsely, and Regis pulled her closer to give her a kiss on the head. "I feel the same way."  
He stroked her hair and looked at her from above. "From now on we'll stay together," he continued, and he felt her nod her head.

After a while of silence, Valka raised her head. "Do you want to go back to Dillingen?", she asked him, and he thought about it for a moment in surprise.  
"Would you like that?", he asked in turn.  
She laid her head back on his chest and continued to pet him. "Dillingen is a nice little town, but the only reason I was really interested in it was because you were there. But I think as long as you're with me, I could live anywhere."

Again, he thought for a moment before answering. "What did you have in mind? Where would you like to live?"  
She bit her cheek, brooding, then spoke hesitantly: "I don't know if I want to live there, but I'd like to see Toussaint. We could visit Veit and Geralt and I would finally have the chance to see with my own eyes whether the landscape is really such a paradise."  
Astonished, Regis frowned. "You haven't been to Toussaint once in four hundred years?"  
She shook her head against his chest. "It just never happened. I've been to the border a few times, but I never went inland.  
Disbelieving, Regis shook his head. "Then we should really catch up now. I'm sure you'll like it there."

He stroked her cheek tenderly as he continued speaking. "Do you want to leave right away, or do you want to stay here a while longer?"  
She shrugged slightly and laid her head back to wink at him. "Since I'm depending on a ship, unlike you, we won't be able to avoid a somewhat longer stay here."  
"Right," he replied a little embarrassed and she smiled at him.  
"Probably a ship will leave for Novigrad sometime in the next few weeks, but that would mean that we would have to go all the way from Novigrad to Toussaint by land again, and to be honest, I'm fed up with Velen right now. Alternatively, we could wait for a passage to Cintra. From there it is not far to Toussaint. But it could be months before we find a ship that can travel this route. ...I like being here, so I'm leaving the decision up to you." Then she straightened up and swung her legs off the bed.

Regis watched her walk across the room, took a towel and wrapped it around her.  
"I think I like the idea with Cintra. It's been a while since I've been to the islands, too. I might take the opportunity to reacquaint myself with it." He straightened up and slid back on the mattress to lean against the wall.  
"So it's a deal," Valka said when she came back to him. "We stay until we find the right..."  
She broke off her sentence when she inadvertently swept the two unnoticed vials with the hem of her towel off the dresser in passing and they landed on the mattress. Before she could reach for them, Regis had bent over in a flash and picked them up.

He smiled briefly and held up one of the vials. "You had the Black Blood Potion in your hand the whole time."  
Valka smiled embarrassed and stroked a strand from her face. "That explains why I couldn't find it, of course. For my own defense, I must say that I was quite distracted."  
The corner of Regis' mouth curled up into a suggestive grin, then he stretched out his arms to hand her the vials. When she tried to reach for it, he drew back his hand with the other vial and held it up to his face to examine the contents more closely.

Valka flinched when she saw him looking thoughtfully at the small brown seeds, which could easily be mistaken for fennel.  
He continued his examination in silence for quite a while and Valka could almost see how thoughts were crossing his mind.

It wasn't hard to guess what he was thinking about and finally she sat down next to him on the mattress and put a hand on his arm.  
When he took his eyes off the vial to look at her instead, she smiled softly at him. "Would you like me to stop using it?" she asked cautiously.

His black eyes widened in astonishment, then he lowered his head and looked down at his legs.  
"I don't know," he finally replied hesitantly. "Perhaps. I... I must think about it."  
Valka nodded understandingly. She leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the mouth. "I love you no matter what happens."

Immediately afterwards she took the vials from his hand and was about to get up again to put them back in her pocket, when he suddenly grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Valka?"  
"Yes, Regis," she asked in surprise, and dropped herself on the mattress again.

He quickly bent over the bed and reached for his bag, from which he pulled out a small box and held it right before her eyes.  
When he nodded invitingly at her, she grabbed it irritated and flipped the lid back on its tiny hinges.  
When the contents became visible, she widened her eyes in amazement and then burst out laughing. "Are you serious?" she asked breathlessly.

"I have never been more serious, in my whole life" he replied smiling.

♦

Veit hummed happily as he dragged a bale of sweet-smelling hay into the stable. At once Roach and Lapis lifted their big heads with interest and whinged enthusiastically. The Witcher laughed softly. "If only you were always so happy when you saw me."

He crouched down, pulled the bundle to pieces and laid out the fair share in front of both horses. "Well, well Lapis. Be good." He pushed his horse's head to one side as it tried to get at Roach's meal first. When Lapis mercifully limited himself to his own food, Veit nodded contentedly and took a last, probing look into the drinking trough before leaving the stable again.

The day was warm and sunny as usual and Veit had to protect himself from the bright light for a moment with his hand until he got used to it again after the dim stable. When his vision was clear again, he suddenly noticed two riders slowly coming up the road towards Corvo Bianco. He narrowed his eyes and tried to see who was on the horses.

Astonished, he opened his eyes wide and a broad smile appeared on his face as he recognized the riders.  
He turned around and walked a few steps across the yard. "GERALT? GERALT? COME HERE, QUICKLY."

He glanced across the herb garden in search of the Witcher.  
After a few moments the searched one appeared among the climbing roses that overgrown the pavilion. He wiped his fingers clean with a cloth and came towards him. "What's the matter?", he asked astonished.  
Veit walked a few more steps towards him and still smiled broadly. "You won't believe who's about to come trotting into the yard."  
Sighing, Geralt hung the cloth over a low-hanging branch. "Please don't tell me that Dandelion decided to move his honeymoon here."  
Veit nudged him laughing against his arm and then walked backwards towards the gate. "No, don't worry. It's Valka and she isn't coming alone."  
Geralt's face lit up and he followed the man. "Is Eskel with her?"  
Veit shook his head again, laughing. "No, much better." He pointed to the gate Valka was riding through at that moment.  
Geralt blinked in disbelief when Regis followed on a mule close behind her.

When the first surprise subsided, a smile spread over his face as well. With outstretched arms he walked towards Regis, who had dismounted in the meantime and came towards him smiling.

"Regis. It's good to see you." He hugged the Vampire, who returned his gesture kindly.  
"Likewise, my friend. And I see you two haven't fallen out of love yet." He broke away from Geralt and went to Veit to greet him as well.

Meanwhile Valka had taken her swords from the saddle and had approached. She put a hand on Geralt's arm in a friendly way and pressed him gently, then she was torn away from him again when Veit pulled her into a stormy embrace.  
"You are here and together," Veit noted enthusiastically and beamed at her. Valka and Regis smiled and gave each other a meaningful look.

"Come", Geralt said gleefully and indicated to them to follow him. "You must be hungry and thirsty. I bet that the moment you walked through the gate, Marlene noticed that guests had arrived and was already swinging the wooden spoon.

"How is it possible that you are here together?" Veit asked curiously as they strolled to the veranda.  
Again Valka took a look at Regis before she answered. " A few weeks after Lindenvale, Regis realized that a depressed Vampire was a rather unsatisfying company and decided to come to Ard Skellig instead."  
Veit was pleased to receive this information. "And you have stayed together ever since?", he continued to ask unabashedly. Regis nodded to him affirmatively.  
"Then you've spent almost a year together now," he noted enthusiastically and teetered excitedly on his toes.  
Regis nodded again. "We wanted to spare ourselves the trip via Novigrad and instead waited for a passage via Cintra. However, the Skellig-people rarely sail there and if, only to plunder. So, we were forced to wait a few months for a merchant ship to come from there."  
They reached the veranda, and Geralt pointed them to a seat.

When they sat down, the front door opened and Marlene came out carrying a tray with glasses, a jug of water and a bottle of wine. Veit went to take it from her. He thanked her and she immediately disappeared back into the house but left behind the delicious smell of roasted meat that indicated that Geralt was right in his assessment and that she was already preparing a meal.

Veit handed them the glasses and they poured themselves.  
He waited impatiently until they had quenched their thirst and then went back to it right away. "And what did you do to pass the time on the island?", he asked fidgetily.  
"Oh, just this and that," Valka replied casually. "I fulfilled some contracts. There were really some very profitable ones. Skellig-people don't come cheap when it comes to pay."  
She turned to Regis and touched his arm lightly. "You treated so many people for that awful cough, weren't they generous too?"  
The Vampire nodded seriously. "They were. Sometimes it was really embarrassing how much they paid me for some herbs and some advice."  
Veit stared at them in astonishment and even Geralt raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Are you serious? Monster hunt and cough?"

"Basically, that was it," Valka said and Regis nodded approvingly. Suddenly he raised a finger. "Oh, it almost slipped my mind. I was asked by Cerys an Craite to give you her regards."

"Cerys?", Geralt asked astonished. "How is she and when did you meet her?" Before Regis answered, he flexed his shoulders and took a sip of water.  
"Don't worry, my friend. Cerys is perfectly well. She's leading the Skellig-people with flying colours, and if you want my humble opinion, I would very much suspect a romance is about to begin. She danced exclusively with a man named Folan during our entire wedding. I seem to remember you telling me that he stood by you in Cirilla's defense against the Wild Hunt."

Geralt puckered his brows and scratched his head thoughtfully. "Yes, Folan. I remember, he..."  
He interrupted when Veit grabbed his arm and shook it frantically. In astonishment he stared at the Witcher's pale face and suddenly it occurred to him what Regis had just said.  
He immediately turned back to the Vampire, who in the meantime had given him a broad, toothed grin. "Your wedding? You two... you two... got... married?", he stammered in amazement and both Regis and Valka laughed out loud.

"We did," confirmed Valka and raised her hand to give them a better view of the delicate, intertwined gold ring, which was decorated with a beautifully cut, yellow-orange citrine.  
An inquiring glance at Regis' hand revealed that he was wearing the same ring, only his was lacking the stone.

"You really got married?", Geralt asked stunned a second time and Regis confirmed it with a smile.  
"I have to admit, the whole story got a bit out of hand. I didn't originally plan to follow this foolish ritual."

Geralt let himself plop down on a chair and grabbed the wine bottle. He poured himself a glass and then his eyes fell on Veit who was still standing there, staring into the void and silently forming words with his lips. He took a second glass, filled it too and held it out to him.  
Veit must have seen the movement from the corners of his eyes, because he took the glass from him, lifted it to his mouth and emptied it in one go. Geralt shook his head and took a sip himself, then he put the glass down again and looked up.

"Okay, I want to know exactly what happened and I want to know it from the beginning."  
Valka laughed softly and nudged Regis. "It's best if you tell about it."  
He smiled affectionately at her for a moment, then he followed Geralt's please. "Valka has already told you that I lost my patience with Dettlaff. I will keep checking on him from time to time in the future, but I don't see any point in staying with him if he prefers the company of lower Vampires."  
Geralt coughed artificially. "Regis, you don't have to be that specific after all."  
Regis smiled a little and continued. "There were a few matters that I wasn't fully aware of, and I needed Valka's point of view to help me make the right conclusions. So, I decided to go and see her. It wasn't too difficult to track her down on Ard Skellig, and when I finally got around to showing myself to her, we had a long overdue talk."  
He paused to take Valka's hand and put a kiss on it. "We both came to the conclusion that we deserved a second chance." He smiled at Geralt and Veit. "And then nothing much really happened. We thought about how we wanted to build our future and decided to pick up the past.”

“At the same time, I remembered a conversation I had with the former mayor of Dillingen. ...He once asked me if I was planning to marry Valka and he made no effort to hide the fact that he would very much welcome it. Relationships without the marriage covenant were then even less welcome among humans than they are today. But as we would continue to live among humans, it was actually only logical to marry. Or at least to claim that we are married.”

“So, I took the plan and left Valka for a few days to look for appropriate rings, which were needed in any case. Since I found them surprisingly quickly, I arrived at our planned meeting place a little earlier and spent the time talking to the innkeeper where Valka had taken up residence. But I underestimated how close she was to the man and I didn't expect her countless acquaintances in Kaer Trolde. Because when the rings were mentioned in the conversation, Jonas asked me quite directly if I was going to propose to her. I said yes, of course.”  
”I had no idea that he would immediately agree to host the entire ceremony.” Regis gurgled softly as he spoke. "Before I could stop him, he stood on the table and eagerly announced to all present what I intended to do. When every single guest of the tavern promptly burst into cheers, I suddenly realized that I could not get out of the act. To make matters worse, Cerys had come to the tavern a few minutes earlier and had overheard everything. Although she had never been directly involved with Valka, she knew about her and the friendships she had made with the Skellig-people. She insisted on performing the ceremony herself."

Geralt shook his head laughing. "Well, that' what I'd expect from Dandelion, but certainly not from you, my friend."  
The Vampire shrugged with a grin. "So instead of the harmless exchange of rings, we celebrated a proper wedding in a Skellig style," Regis finally concluded his story and leaned back in his chair, relaxed.

"Don't they celebrate three days on the Skellig Islands?", asked Veit and his mother nodded her approval.  
Geralt struck the table with his hand in awe. "I congratulate you from the bottom of my heart. It's just a pity that I wasn't able to experience this."  
Regis raised his hand apologetically. "Had I known how things would turn out, I would have insisted on your presence, my dear Geralt." Then he turned to Veit. "And yours too, of course."

Veit took a deep breath and looked at him seriously for a moment. Then he walked towards Regis and put his arms around him. He smiled happily when he separated himself from him again and went around the table to do the same with Valka. "I'm really, really happy how things turned out. I hope - no, I know that now you will find the happiness you both deserve."

Then he cleared his throat and took a step back "But tell me Valka, how was it for you?" he asked her a moment later. "Did he really propose to you?"  
The Witcher laughed out loud. "He did, and although I knew he was up to something, I never expected it. When he put the rings under my eyes, I thought at first that he was joking. I was making fun of it myself just before. And suddenly I find that a whole party has been planned and that the Queen of Skellig Islands has decided to marry us." She shook her head with a grin.

"I never gave a thought to marriage. As a Witcher, that would be rather silly, too. It might be that for many women there is nothing more pleasant than the thought of the bridal wreath, but in my dreams, I rather hoped for a set of new swords or a new saddle. ...but I have to confess, if I had dreamed of it, then this is exactly what I was hoping for... and this is exactly the man."  
Regis leaned in and she met him halfway, to meet his lips.

Geralt watched the tender kiss with fascination and his heart jumped for joy because he could clearly see how happy Regis was.  
He had to tear himself away from the sight of the two with difficulty, but when he managed to do so and looked over to Veit, he noticed that he looked at Valka with the same amount of bliss he felt when he saw the Vampire.

When they separated again, the Witcher mischievously made a face. "I must confess, it is also very attractive to be able to say that you are my husband." She laughed softly. "I almost wish I could go back in time and rub it under the noses of the women in Dillingen. Just the little black-haired one... the cooper's daughter. She'd probably burst at the seams."  
Regis shook his head in shame. "You're exaggerating, my dear."  
She laughed again, this time louder and turned to the others. "Not in the least. I tell you; he was the talk of the town. He had turned the heads of every woman there."

Amused, Geralt crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You'll have to tell me more about that sometime," he demanded mischievously, and Regis turned his eyes conspicuously, provoking unanimous laughter.  
He let them do as they pleased, but shook his head blaming them. "Silly people," he murmured.

"As I see, you've had a lot done to the estate," he hopefully changed the subject immediately afterwards and to his relief, Geralt immediately responded as if he was just waiting for the question.  
"So you noticed it, very nice", the Witcher remarked and put his hands to his sides with satisfaction. "I had all the buildings renovated and had another accommodation built for the employees. I'm especially proud of the reconstruction of the original workers' house. You know, the one next to B.B.'s house. Until now the upper floor was too dilapidated to be inhabited and only the lower rooms could be used. I had the workers move from there to the new accommodation and had the whole building redesigned from the ground up for its new purpose," he said in raptures and his cat's eyes shone so enthusiastically that Regis couldn't help but wonder.  
When the Witcher clapped his hands enthusiastically and said: "Come and see for yourself."  
Regis knitted his eyebrows in amazement.  
The suggestion irritated him, but he also became a little curious about what made the Witcher so enthusiastic and what plans he had for this building. He decided to follow him.

Geralt didn't even wait if he would agree and already walked across the yard to the front door.  
Regis strolled behind him and was amused about the zeal. "You really put a lot of energy into these things, my friend", he smiled at the Witcher.  
Geralt looked over his shoulder and grinned back as he unlocked the door. "Witchers take what they can get and make the best of it. That not only applies to breakfast." He pushed the door open and, with a wave of his hand, invited Regis to go ahead.  
Shaking his head, he passed the still grinning Witcher and entered the door.

Regis let his gaze wander over the large, cleanly plastered room and his breath faltered.  
In the back corner there was a high plank bed and next to it a pretty little hand basin made of chased copper. On the opposite side a huge table with a shiny polished wooden top took up almost the entire wall surface.  
Glass bowls, stirrers and boxes with metal instruments and magnifying glasses covered the surface. Numerous shelves hung on the walls, loaded with empty, clean glasses, corked bottles and vials waiting to be filled.

Stunned, Regis walked into the middle of the room and turned in circles to take it all in.  
His gaze finally fell on Geralt again, but he didn't feel able to say anything to what he saw and instead he just stared at the man in amazement.

Geralt's grin became even wider. "You know Regis, I have so many people working for me, there's always someone sick or injured. I just need my own doctor here and I thought I could more easily convince someone to take this job if I already had a finished practice."  
He took down his arms, which were previously crossed in front of his chest, walked towards Regis and grabbed his arm to lead him through the door on the other side, into the adjacent narrow hallway.  
"Geralt...", Regis said softly, but the Witcher ignored him and just dragged him on.  
"There's more to see. Look here, for example," he said, pointing to a much smaller room branching off from the corridor.

Through the door, Regis could see a large bathtub and a heatable copper kettle that was used to prepare hot water.

"Of course, there is still the bathhouse, but I thought a doctor would certainly like to have a private bathroom. There are people who value their privacy very much," Geralt continued and then set off to drag the bewildered Regis into the next room.  
"And here is the living room." He pointed to a large open area with the walls almost completely covered with unused bookshelves. In front of a neat fireplace stood several upholstered armchairs, which looked not only brand new, but extremely expensive.

He moved Regis a little further and pointed to a long table with matching chairs. "Ah, and here is the dining area. The kitchen is back there. You see the door by the stairs?"  
"Geralt... ." Regis tried again but was immediately interrupted again.  
"Of course, a doctor who works for me, or even his wife, wouldn't have to cook for themselves. They' d be welcome in my house at any meal or any other time."  
Geralt now stepped behind the Vampire and shoved him towards the stairs. "A cellar would have been nice, of course. Perhaps an alchemy laboratory could have been accommodated. Unfortunately, this house doesn't have one, but fortunately there is a big, really well-equipped laboratory in the wine cellar, which I would gladly put at the disposal of a doctor, if he agreed to work for me. Oh, that reminds me, you should also take another look at the laboratory. I've been working on it a bit since your last visit. A few extra shelves, a still... because I'm thinking of making a distillate out of some of my wine. But first I have to find someone who has the necessary knowledge and experience in distilling alcohol. Come on, Regis, don't dawdle."  
He pushed the Vampire up the stairs and then into the larger of the two rooms above. "The bedroom, as you can easily see by the really comfy bed. A wardrobe, a chest of drawers and there an armour stand and one for swords. I don't know what a doctor would do with them, but the Witcher I am thought it was necessary." He laughed affectedly and Regis rolled his eyes. "Who knows, maybe I'll find a doctor who likes fencing or likes heavily armed women."

"Geralt, really... ." Again, Regis was ignored and again dragged by the arm into the adjoining smaller room.  
The room was completely empty except for a nice curtain in front of the window and Geralt stood in the middle of it and put his hands on his hips. "Well, I knew nothing to do with this room. I thought for a while whether I should have the wall taken out, but who needs a bedroom like a ballroom? I figured my potential doctor could do the room himself. Maybe he has lots of books and would like a reading room or something."

Regis pressed his thumb and forefinger against the root of his nose and tried not to laugh. "Geralt, that's enough", it escaped him amused and the Witcher turned to him with a broad grin. "My friend, I would love to stay here and offer you my services."

Geralt's facial features slipped away and he let his arms hang in dismay. "What? Why?", he asked stunned.  
A moment later he had regained his composure and he shook off the surprise. "I mean, that's great, of course." The smile came back to his face. "I'm just amazed that it was that easy. I firmly believed that I had to put you in a cage until you finally gave in. In the past, you even refused to stay if I just offered to spend the night."  
Regis nodded in agreement. "I would not like to strain your hospitality and I would not do so now either, if circumstances weren't forcing me. In fact, I intended to ask you to accommodate Valka and me for a while."

Astonished Geralt tilted his head. "Why that?"  
Regis walked around the room and glanced out the window. "You know my friend, if we go back to Dillingen now, I would have to take a job as a barber there first. I have no property there anymore. So, it would take me a while to save up enough to buy a house and my own practice. Especially since Valka won't be able to practice her profession very soon either."  
Perplexed Geralt shrugged. "I don't understand. Why shouldn't she be able to work as a Witcher anymore?"

Regis turned to him again and grinned at him broadly. "You know, I think this room is just perfect to turn into a child's room."

**~**

When they stepped out into the yard again, Geralt's ears were still ringing.  
The announcement of his friend hit him hard. But when he looked at Regis and the happy smile that now constantly lay on his face, Geralt couldn't help but be happy. In his eyes no one deserved to find happiness more than Regis.

They strolled across the courtyard towards the small veranda where Valka was just receiving a cup of tea from Marlene. Veit stood next to her and looked down at her. But when he noticed that they came back, he came towards Geralt with a beaming grin.  
His steps were so euphoric that his braid swung wildly around, and he almost jumped more than he walked. Geralt could hardly hold back his laughter at the sight.  
"Geralt, did you hear that?", he asked with shining eyes. "She is pregnant. Valka is pregnant. I'm going to have my little sister."

Valka laughed softly. "Or a brother. After all, there's the possibility."  
Veit looked over his shoulder and waved. "No, I'm sure it'll be a sister." He turned back to Geralt and Regis and kept on beaming at them. "That's just incredible. I had really given up hope, but now? Married and pregnant."  
But suddenly his face became serious and he grabbed his head in shock. "I must go to Beauclair right away."

He spun around hastily as if searching for something and only stopped when his gaze fell on the stable. But before he could walk towards it, Geralt stopped him in surprise. "Veit, what's wrong? What do you want in Beauclair?"  
Veit paused and looked at him as if the question was completely absurd.  
"Toys, of course," he explained in a smug tone. "A doll. Or, no, better make them two. And a tea set for children." As he went on, excitement crept back into his voice. "And clothes. Pretty little dresses. They have to be made first, and children grow up so darn fast."  
The others burst out laughing, but Veit wasn't deterred in the slightest.

"A cradle must be bought," Marlene said.  
Veit immediately nodded enthusiastically and put a hand to his chin, brooding. "You are quite right, Marlene. A cradle. Where can one get the best cradles?"

"Hold on," Valka tried to stop him amusedly. "It will be months before the child is born. There's really no reason to rush into anything."  
Veit stared at her in astonishment. "Months?"

Regis laughed out loud again. "I almost have the impression he's even more excited than I am."  
Valka leaned forward and squeezed his hand. "It almost seems like it, and I didn't think it was even possible."

Silently the front door opened, and Barnabas-Basil stepped outside. He walked purposefully towards the happy group and bowed slightly. "May I be of service, sir?" he asked dutifully.

Geralt tilted his head and thought for a moment, then nodded. "Could you please arrange for the chests from the alchemy laboratory to be brought to the new house. Regis would probably like his books back."  
The Vampire smiled gratefully at him while the majordomo bowed again. "So they will be staying longer as guests?"  
Geralt shook his head with a grin. "These two aren't guests. This is their home."  
Once again, Barnabas-Basil bowed, but this time to Regis. "I see. The Master will take over the practice. The house was furnished according to exact specifications, but should you have any further requests, I will arrange for everything necessary."

Valka puckered her brows in surprise. "The practice?", she asked irritatedly and Regis shook his head, smiling. "My dear friend Geralt apparently pursued the plan to keep us here of his own accord. I had told him about my first house in Dillingen and he used the description to furnish a house and a practice almost identically here."  
"Really?" Valka asked in amazement, gazing curiously at the Witcher. "And how did you know we were coming here? Especially that we were coming together?"

Geralt shrugged indifferently. "I didn't know. I only expected you to come here sometime to visit Veit and Regis hopefully because of me. The plan was to keep you here until you finally came to your minds. It may not have been a very good plan, but it was the only one I had."  
Valka shook her head laughing. "Both of you are incorrigible."

"We only did what was necessary," Veit replied winking. "And apparently successfully so. My mother is finally at the side of the right man. I have found my father and I will have my sibling. Even if perhaps two hundred and fifty years too late." He gave Regis a wry look, then turned to Geralt and laid his hands lovingly on his shoulders. "And I think Valka isn’t the only one who has found the right one." He leaned forward and kissed him tenderly.

When he detached himself from him again, Geralt's gaze rushed to Regis, who tried unsuccessfully to hide his giggle behind one hand and the Witcher felt the blush rise to his face.  
He cleared his throat embarrassed at first, but then put one arm on Veit's shoulder and smiled mischievously at him from the side. "But don't imagine that I'm going to propose to you, too." Smiling, Veit poked him in the side. "That's all right. When the time comes, I'll ask you."

All eyes suddenly turned to Regis, who took a deep breath, tilted his head back and let the warm sun of Toussaint shine on his face with closed eyes. He smelled the sweet air that contained the heavy aroma of the innumerable flowers and felt the peace that overcame him each time he stayed in this land.  
For a moment he remained in this position, then he expelled his breath with a sigh, opened his eyes and let his gaze glide happily over those present. "I can hardly believe it, but in the end everything was going fine."

**♥** **~THE END~** **♥**

****

**_Artwork by Vince_ **

Admire other great works of him.  
[DeviantArt](https://www.deviantart.com/vincent-a-silence) / [ArtStation](https://www.artstation.com/vincent_silence) / [Animexx](https://www.animexx.de/fanart/zeichner/341500/)

~

An inconspicuous movement broke through the darkness in the desolate cave on the edge of Nazair.  
Barely perceptible to mortal eyes, a shadow made its way.  
Then suddenly the source was revealed.

Dettlaff stuck his head out of the cave. Confused, he blinked a few times and then looked around searching. "Regis?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> Just the epilogue is left now.  
>  Thank you for reading and especially thanks to all who supported me with kudos and comments.
> 
> There are more stories that relate directly to this one. I would be happy if you take a look at them.  
> 


	15. Epilogue: Dreaming of yesterday

A fresh breeze rushed through the lush green foliage of the trees and made a soothing murmur that seamlessly blended with the gurgling sounds of the nearby stream. Perseveringly, the light of the spring sun made its way past the young leaves and fell as thousands of dancing dots onto the soft grass. The play of light lent the forest, despite the prevailing twilight, an almost magical atmosphere.

Yawning, Valka opened her eyes, stretched comfortably and winked a few times in quick sequence to dispel the persistent drowsiness.  
She hadn't actually intended to sleep, but the euphoric chirping of the birds and the branches swaying hypnotically in the wind had lulled her and her meditation had gradually turned into a deep sleep.

As she followed with her gaze a large poplar pollen, which together with countless others floated like fluffy snowflakes silently across the tiny clearing, she felt the strength returning to her body.

The last couple of weeks had emaciated her and she had already reached the limits of her physical capabilities.  
There had been hardly any opportunity for her to work and the few jobs she was able to accept had turned out to be extremely strenuous and very badly paid.

Relaxed, she supported herself on her elbows and let her eyes wander curiously across the clearing. It didn't take long before she found what she was looking for.  
Veit sat silently and with wide, astonished eyes on a boulder and listened attentively to the words of the Vampire, who stood before him, making shallow gestures.  
Despite her sensitive hearing she was unable to understand a single word and she realized that Lennard was whispering because the knowledge he conveyed to the curious boy was only meant for him.

Her gaze drifted on and finally reached the coarse woollen blanket, on which the remains of their last meal still lay scattered.  
She squeezed her eyes tightly and fought fiercely against the suddenly rising tears. Once again, the Vampire had saved them from starving.

When she came to this forest yesterday, she had actually intended to hunt. But her involuntary fasting had weakened her so much in the meantime that her hands trembled and each of her bolts inevitably missed its target.

Veit had already learned to bear the hunger in silence. But the disappointment in his big brown eyes and the constant growling of his stomach almost broke Valka's heart. She had sold her horse weeks ago and so she couldn't even get some meat for him that way.

When Veit had finally fallen asleep late at night despite his empty stomach, she had curled up next to him and shed silent tears while she hated herself for her inability to care for her child.

Bright children's laughter made her turn her attention back to her son, and the unpleasant tingling sensation that was tightening her throat finally subsided.  
Apparently the lesson was over, because Veit jumped up gladly from his improvised seat and ran happily and with outstretched arms, towards the Vampire.

His laughter filled the small clearing as Lennard lovingly lifted the boy up and whirled him around wildly.  
A feeling of deep gratitude flowed through her body and captured her completely when the blond Vampire's deep, happy laugh joined Veit's.

The relief she had felt as Lennard stepped out from between the trees in the morning with the first rays of the sun had almost overwhelmed her. Their arrangement did not provide for it but he had brought them food once more and as the times before he had been extremely generous.

They had been starving for days and only occasionally she had managed to beg a piece of dry bread for Veit, but thanks to the Vampire's kindness they had now enjoyed a meal worthy of a king.

Besides the selected delicacies, which were intended for immediate consumption, he had also brought plenty of dried meat and hardtack, and even a small bag of dried fruit was found among the numerous supplies. They would be well supplied for the next time. But in any case, long enough to reach the next town where she would hopefully find work again.

Smiling she looked up as Veit hopped enthusiastically towards her.  
He had always been very small for his age, but lately he had suddenly grown a lot and Valka was pleased to find out that despite his irregular meals he was finally as well developed as an eight-year-old should be.

Grinning, the excited boy ploped down on the floor next to her and beamed at her. "Lennard said he would be with us for a while," he announced effusively.  
"Did he?", Valka asked astonished and looked at the elfish Vampire who had slowly approached.  
"Of course, only if it's okay with you," Lennard explained, hinting a little bow.

Valka watched him thoughtfully for a moment, but the sincere smile on his pretty face and Veit's obvious enthusiasm had convinced her already. "With pleasure."  
Lennard bowed his head once more.

A moment later, he let his gaze wander across the fairy-tale clearing. "It's a beautiful day," he said calmly, and Valka nodded approvingly.  
The Vampire settled down comfortably next to the Witcher and stretched out on the soft grass. Valka smiled silently when she saw him closing his eyes in a relaxed manner and the light dancing across his even features. "Thank you, Lennard," she sighed softly.  
The Vampire did not reply, but another smile spread over his face.

Valka decided to do the same and to take this rare opportunity to doze peacefully. Satisfied, she lay down again and immediately afterwards Veit crawled between her and the Vampire to cuddle up to them.  
His little hand groped for hers and when he finally found it, he drew it to him till it rested on his belly. With the other one he had used the same way to draw Lennard's hand and now their fingers touched each other inevitably.  
"Mommy", Veit whispered happily in her ear and Valka had to smile again. The rustling of his clothes revealed that he turned his head in Lennard's direction and he whispered again: "Daddy."

With a jerk, Valka straightened up. Her eyes were wide open and her breathing was fast and shallow. She was disoriented for a moment. Hectically she looked around, but she relaxed again when she realized immediately that she was still in Corvo Bianco.

The book she had been reading before she fell asleep lay unnoticed at her feet and a crow watched her curiously from the opposite trellis with its head tilted.  
Valka sighed softly and shook her head disconcertedly as she ran her trembling fingers through her short hair. "It was only a dream," she murmured softly.

A wave of regret overcame her as she thought of the countless times Lennard had shown his kindness and friendliness. Despite his unexpected repulsive and cruel behaviour, she once again came to feel sincere pity for him.  
After so many honourable years a fit of burning jealousy had condemned him to slow and agonizing regeneration in dark loneliness. And even though she was very happy to be no longer bound to him, she was still haunted by the nagging feeling of being deeply in his debt.

She sighed a second time and bent over to pick up the book and put it on the bench.  
Lost in thought, she stroked her fingertips over the fine linen cover. Finally, she rose from her seat and strolled still brooding through the rose-overgrown pavilion.

At the last trellis she stopped again and leaned against the wood heated by the sun.  
Only a few steps away, at the edge of the herb garden, she found Regis gently cradled their newborn daughter in his arms.  
An unconscious smile spread across her face and drove away the gloomy thoughts as she noticed the devoted and deeply reverent expression on Regis' face as he watched his child.  
Somewhere on the other side of the yard, Veit's resounding laughter resounded and only a moment later, Geralt's more reserved laughter mingled with it.

Happily, Valka brushed a persistent strand from her face and finally banished her thoughts of Lennard. The present had so much more to offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~★ ★ ★~
> 
> Just a little reminder from Valka to keep in mind that Lennard was not always bad.


End file.
